Author Archives: Swati

Think As you Read
Q.1 What are some of the positive views on interviews?
ANSWER:
Interview, in the 130 years of its existence, has become an inherent part of journalism. It is a useful means of communication that is, at times, considered to be an art, serving as a source of truth. Denis Brian has stated that in today’s world we get to know “our contemporaries” through their interviews.

Q.2Why do most celebrity writers despise being interviewed?

ANSWER:

Celebrity writers believe that interviews unduly interfere in their private lives. They regard themselves as victims of interviews. They claim that the interview in some way ‘diminishes’ them, just like some ancient cultures believed that a portrait of a person takes away his soul. Certain celebrities like V.S Naipaul have claimed that interviews leave them wounded, while others like Rudyard Kipling have referred to it as a crime and an immoral act.

Q.3 What is the belief in some primitive cultures about being photographed?

ANSWER:
Some primitive cultures believed that photographing a person is no less than stealing his/her soul out of the body and rendering him incomplete and slighted.

Q.4 What do you understand by the expression “thumbprints on his windpipe”?

ANSWER:
The expression means having been strangulated. The interview is an assault on a person as it makes him/her so tense that he/she feels as good as being choked.

Q.5 Who, in today’s world, is our chief source of information about personalities?

ANSWER:
In modern times, the chief source of information on personalities is the interviewer who, through his power and influence, gathers information and provides us with the best possible information on the interviewees. He extracts everything significant through his questions for us.

Understanding the Text

Q.1Do you think Umberto Eco likes being interviewed? Give reasons for your opinion.

ANSWER:
Yes, Umberto Eco, in all possibilities, likes being interviewed. He felt just at ease with the interviewer and answered all the questions fully and patiently without showing any hurry. He stated his achievement in a very modest manner and explained his philosophical views and interest clearly. He let the interviewer enter the secret about his craft with a loud laugh. Also, he elaborated his approach which was unique. He was mannerly, warm and properly responsive as well.

Q.2 What was distinctive about Eco’s academic writing style?

ANSWER:
Umberto Eco’s academic writing style is quite distinctive. It has a certain playful and personal quality about it. It is a marked departure from a regular academic style, which is usually depersonalised and often dry and boring.

Q.3Did Umberto Eco consider himself a novelist first or an academic scholar?

ANSWER:
Umberto Eco considered himself an academic scholar first and a novelist later. He makes his preference clear by saying, “I consider myself a university professor who writes novels on Sundays”. On week days he attends academic conferences and does other scholarly, non-fictional work.

Q.4What is the reason for the huge success of the novel, The Name of the Rose?

ANSWER:
‘The Name of the Rose’ is different sort of noveL It is quite serious noveL It is a detective story at one leveL But it also probes into metaphysics theology and medieval history. The reasons for the success of the book, however, remain a mystery.

Talking about the Text

Discuss in pairs or small groups.

Q.1The medium you like best for an interview, print, radio, or television.

ANSWER:

The medium I like best for an interview is the television. It has both audio and visual effect. It presents the interviewer and interviewee before the audience in their true colours. Usually celebrities accuse the reporters of misquoting them or misreporting them in the print media or the radio. This is not possible when they are face-to-face on the television. Their lip movement and body movement while replying to probing questions are there for all to see. The recording of various expressions coming on the face of the interviewee and his/her gestures and words are the additional advantages that television holds over the print media or the radio. The print media has dull, dry words alongside a picture whereas the radio tries to create the atmosphere by skilful variation of the sound. Both expect a lot of attention from the reader/audience.

Q.2Every famous person has a right to his or her privacy. Interviewers sometimes embarrass celebrities with very personal questions.

ANSWER:
Interviewers want to present exculsive and intimate details about the famous person they are interviewing. Some interviewrs focus on the public life and achievements of the individual only. They try to be objective in their approach as well as assesment. However, there are others who want to make their interviews more spicy and usually cross the thin limit of privacy of the individual. In their zeal to present good copy they embrass the famous person with the personal questions. Sometimes impact of such questions on famous person reveals his/her aversion as well as irritation at the silliness of the person. If they shout, they are accused of being rude and proud and if they keep mum thy are labelled as arrogant. In my opinion privacy of an individual must be respected.

TEXTBOOK QUESTION AND ANSWER:

Think As you Read

Q.1What does the writer mean by ‘the fiery misery’ of those subjected to make-up’?

ANSWER:

The heat produced by the lights in the make-up room brought about a lot of discomfort to the actors in the make-up room. Hence the writer refers to this pain and trouble as ‘fiery misery’.

Q.2What is the example of national integration that the author refers to?
ANSWER:
The make-up division of the Gemini Studios was an example of national integration. According to the author, this is so because people from different regions and religious groups worked together in the same department. The department was headed by a Bengali who was succeeded by a Maharashtrian. The other helpers included a Dharwar Kannadiga, an Andhra, a Madras Indian Christian, an Anglo-Burmese and the local Tamils.

Q.3What work did the ‘office boy’ do in the Gemini Studios? Why did he join the studios? Why was he disappointed?

ANSWER:

The office boy applies make-up on the players who played the crowd. On the days of crowd shooting, he would mix his paint in a big vessel and apply it quickly and noisily on the faces of the players. He had joined the studios with the hope of becoming a star actor or a screen writer, director or lyrics writer. He was disappointed because he failed and remained only a ‘boy’.

Q.4 Why did the author appear to be doing nothing at the studios?

ANSWER:

The author’s duty was to cut out newspaper clippings on a wide variety of subjects and store them in files. Many of these had to be written out in hand. The onlookers noticed him merely tearing up newspapers. Hence to them he seemed to be doing next to nothing.

Q.5Why was the office boy frustrated? Who did he show his anger on?

ANSWER:

The office boy was frustrated because despite getting a good opening, he remained only an office boy. He had had a good formal education and would write poetry also. But his great literary talent was being allowed to go waste. He showed his anger on Kothamangalam Subbu, the No. 2 at Gemini Studios.

Q.6 Who was Subbu’s principal?

ANSWER:
Mr. S.S Vasan, the founder of the Gemini Studios, was Subbu’s principal.

Q.7Subbu is described as a many-sided genius. List four of his special abilities.

ANSWER:

Four Special abilities of Subbu:
i) Subbu had the ability to look cheerful at all times.
(ii) His sense of loyalty made him turn his entire creativity to his principal’s advantage: Film-making was quite easy with Subbu around
(iii) He was literary inclined too-a poet and novelist. He was an amazing actor.
(iv) He had a charitable and loving nature.

Q.8Why was the legal adviser referred to as the opposite by others?

ANSWER:

The lawyer was in the Story Department. He was officially known as the legal adviser. However, his actions did nobody any good. He had unwittingly brought to an end the career of a promising young actress. Hence he was referred to as the opposite by others.

Q.9What made the lawyer stand out from the others at Gemini Studios?

ANSWER:

The lawyer’s dress that he wore made him stand out from the others. He wore a pant, a tie and sometimes a coat also. Others put on a khadi dhoti with a slightly oversized and clumsily tailored white khadi shirt, which looked like everyone’s uniform.

Q.10 Did the people at Gemini Studios have any particular political affiliations?

ANSWER:

Most of the people at Gemini Studios were followers of Gandhiji and wore khadi. Beyond khadi and wearing of khadi they did not have any particular political affiliations. However, they were all against communism.

Q.11Why was the Moral Rearmament Army welcomed at the Studios?

ANSWER:

The Moral Rearmament Army was a kind of counter movement to international communism.
The Big Bosses of Madras like Mr. Vasan simply played into their hands. So the Moral Rearmament Army was welcomed at the Gemini Studios.

Q.12 Who was the Boss of Gemini Studios?

ANSWER:

Mr. S.S Vasan was the Boss of Gemini Studios.

Q.13 What caused the lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at Gemini Studios?

ANSWER:

Most of the 600 odd people at Gemini Studios were Tamil speakers. The Englishman was addressing them in his own language-English. He had a peculiar accent. Hence, there was a lack of communication between the Englishman and the people at who could not follow what he was saying.

Q.14Why is the Englishman’s visit referred to as unexplained mystery?

ANSWER:

The Englishman’s visit to the Gemini Studios is referred to as an unexplained mystery because no one could decipher his identity, whether he was a poet or an editor. Besides, when he spoke no one at the studio understood what he intended to say as his accent was beyond their comprehension.

Q.15Who was the English visitor to the studios?
ANSWER:

The English visitor to the Gemini Studios was Stephen Spender. He was the editor of The Encounter, a British Periodical, and a famous English poet, essayist and novelist of the twentieth century.
Q. 16How did the author discover who the English visitor to the studios was?

ANSWER:

Before investing money in participating in a short story contest organised by an English periodical The Encounter, the author did a research on the magazine. He went to the British Council Library where, while going through an issue of that periodical, he discovered that its editor was Stephen Spender, the poet that had once visited the studio.

Q.17 What does ‘The God that Failed’ refer to?

ANSWER:

‘The God That Failed’ was a compilation of six essays written by six eminent writers, namely, Andre Gide, Richard Wright, Ignazio Silone, Arthur Koestler, Louis Fischer and Stephen Spender. In each of the essays, the respective writers described “their journeys into Communism and their disillusioned return”.

Understanding the Text

Q.1The author has used gentle humour to point out human foibles. Pick out instances of this to show how this serves to make the piece interesting.

ANSWER:

The instances of humour, used by the author, mark the eccentricities and idiosyncrasies without making any direct and rude comment on anybody. For instance, the author portrays the make-up artists and the usage of the pancakes in an interesting way. Even the caricature of Subbu is hilarious. The way he tries to help his principal by offering quick solutions to his problems is quite amusing. The episode of the legal adviser that inadvertently causes the end of an actress’s career is yet another example. The frustration of the office boy, the superficial praising of Gandhi, hatred of Communism and the ‘mystery’ surrounding Stephen Spender are some of the instances where the author has incorporated gentle humour.

Q.2Why was Kothamangalam Subbu considered No. 2 in Gemini Studios?

ANSWER:

Kothamangalam Subbu succeeded in securing the place closest to The Boss by means of flattery. He was not brilliant but a rather cheerful person and exceedingly loyal to The Boss. He offered solutions whenever The Boss was in a fix. Thus, the other employees considered him No.2 in Gemini Studios.

Q.3 How does the author describe the incongruity of an English poet addressing the audience at Gemini Studios?

ANSWER:

The English poet was addressing the Tamil audience at Gemini Studios in English with a typical provincial accent. He was talking about the thrills and travails of an English poet to a dazed and silent audience. This was the incongruity because his audience could not understand him at all.

Q.4 What do you understand about the author’s literary inclinations from the account?

ANSWER:

The writer was a prose-writer. He wanted to send a short story for the short story contest organised by a British periodical by the name ‘The Encounter’.

Talking about the Text

Q.1Discuss in small groups taking off from points in the text.

1.Film-production today has come a long way from the early days of the Gemini Studios.
2. Poetry and films.
3. Humour and criticism.

ANSWER:

1. Film production is more technical nowadays. While earlier only five per cent of the shooting was done outdoors, nowadays outdoor shooting is no more limited to such a negligible percentage. The cameras and other equipments are more advanced allowing for more varied and accurate presentation.
The quality of make-up has improved many folds from the days of the Gemini Studios where only pancake was used. The people involved in various departments are experts in their specialised work, be it the director, producer, scriptwriter, lyricist or the actors. The overall quality of the films is more striking and lively.

2. In India poetry and films are intricately linked. The people at Gemini Studios, all claimed to have the talents of a poet. The main reason behind it was their monotonous and leisurely life at the studios. However, these people were not knowledgeable or educated enough to be poets. Unlike poetry, films can be enjoyed by people with little resources who cannot afford to cultivate taste for poetry and literature.

3. The story is interspersed with instances dipped in subtle humour. The humorous instances, however, make interesting and relevant comments on the behaviour of general people. A humorous story has more readers, a humorous film more viewers. This is because they provide entertainment and a respite from the tedious existence. Criticism by means of humour is more effective, hence writers and film-makers often use humorous elements in their works and make sarcastic comments and criticism.

TEXTBOOK QUESTION AND ANSWER:

Think As you Read
Q.1 Strike out what is not true in the following.

a. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) a delegate.
(iv) a landlord.
ANSWER:

(i) a sharecropper.
(ii) a politician.
(iii) a delegate.
(iv) a landlord.

b. Rajkumar Shukla was
(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.

ANSWER:

(i) poor.
(ii) physically strong.
(iii) illiterate.

Q.2 Why is Rajkumar Shukla described as being ‘resolute’?

ANSWER:
Rajkumar Shukla is described as being ‘resolute’ because even after being told about the prior engagements of Gandhi at Cawnpore and other parts across the county, he does not quit. He continues to accompany Gandhi everywhere. Furthermore, he persistently asks Gandhi to fix a date for his visit to his native district of Champaran. His resolution and determination finally impresses Gandhi and the latter complies with his request.

Q.3 Why do you think the servants thought Gandhi to be another peasant?

ANSWER:
Gandhi was a simple and humble man dressed in a plain ‘dhoti’ (loincloth). To the servants, he must have looked like just another poor farmer in this country. Moreover, he was accompanied by Rajkumar Shukla whom they knew to be a poor indigo sharecropper. Thus, when the servants saw them both together, they mistook Gandhi to be another peasant.

Q.4List the places that Gandhi visited between his first meeting with Shukla and his arrival at Champaran.

ANSWER:
Gandhi first met Shukla at Lucknow. Then he was in Cawnpore and other parts of India. He returned to his ashram near Ahmedabad. Later he visited Calcutta, Patna and Muzaffarpur before arriving at Champaran.

Q.5 What did the peasants pay the British landlords as rent? What did the British now want instead and why? What would be the impact of synthetic indigo on the prices of natural indigo?

ANSWER:
The peasants used to pay indigo as rent to the British landlords. Germany had now developed synthetic indigo. So the British landlords wanted money as compensation for being released from natural arrangement. The prices of natural Indigo would go down due to the synthetic indigo.

Q.6The events in this part of the text illustrate Gandhi’s method of working. Can you identify some instances of this method and link them to his ideas of satyagraha and non-violence?

ANSWER:
There are many instances in the narrative that can be linked to Gandhi’s idea of non-cooperation andsatyagraha. One such instance is Gandhi’s refusal to obey the court order asking him to leave Champaran immediately. Besides that, Gandhi’s protest against the delay of the court proceedings is also an instance of his belief in civil disobedience.
Furthermore, Gandhi does not falter to plead guilty in front of the court. He accepts his guilt but presents a rational case as to what made him disobey the law. For him, truth is above everything and, thus, he decides to follow the voice of conscience and obey the “higher law of our being”.

Q.7 Why did Gandhi agree to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers?

ANSWER:
For Gandhi the amount of the refund was less important than the fact that the landlords had been forced to return part of the money and with it, part of their prestige. So he agreed to the settlement of 25 percent refund to the farmers.

Q.8How did the episode change the plight of the peasants?

ANSWER:
The episode of Champaran brought more than one change in the plight of the peasants of that district. These peasants gained confidence which was evident in their spontaneous demonstration on the morning of Gandhi’s trial. After the successful refund of the compensation, the peasants, for the first time, realised their own rights and were liberated from the fear that had plagued them.
This episode brought an end to the fifteen percent arrangement of sharecropping. However, the most radical change that the episode brought about was in their social and cultural standard. Gandhi opened schools in six villages. His wife took pains to make the peasants aware of the importance of general sanitation and personal hygiene. He even appointed a doctor.

Understanding the Text

Q.1Why do you think Gandhi considered the Champaran episode to be a turning-point in his life?

ANSWER:
The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of large number of poor peasants. He got the whole hearted support of thousands of people. Gandhiji admitted that he had done a very ordinary thing. He declared that the British could not order him about in his own country. Hence he considered the Champaran episode as a turning point in his life.

Q.2 How was Gandhi able to influence lawyers? Give instances.

ANSWER:
Gandhi was able to influence the lawyers through his conviction, earnestness and pertinent questioning. Gandhi reproached the lawyers of Muzzafarpur for charging a large sum of money as fee from the peasants. Later, the lawyers from Bihar opined that they would return to their own places in the event of his imprisonment. But, Gandhi made them realise that it would be impudent for them, being lawyers from a neighbouring place, to return when a stranger was ready to get himself imprisoned for the peasants. So, they agreed to follow him to jail. Gandhi also convinced the lawyers not to seek support from an Englishman and be self-reliant.

Q.3What was the attitude of the average Indian in smaller localities towards advocates of ‘home rule’?

ANSWER:
The average Indians in smaller localities were afraid to show sympathy for the advocates of home-rule. Gandhi stayed at Muzaffarpur for two days in the home of professor Malkani, a teacher in a government school. It was an extraordinary thing in those days for a government professor to give shelter to one who opposed the government.

Q.4How do we know that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement?

ANSWER:
Professor J.B. Kriplani received Gandhi at Muzaffarpur railway station at midnight. He had a large body of students with him. Sharecroppers from Champaran came on foot and by conveyance to see Gandhi. Muzaffarpur lawyers too called on him. A vast multitude greeted Gandhi when he reached Motihari railway station. Thousands of people demonstrated around the court room. This shows that ordinary people too contributed to the freedom movement.

Thinking about Language

Q.1 Notice the sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’.
Why does the author use quotations in his narration?
ANSWER:
Below are some sentences in the text which are in ‘direct speech’:

Short Answer Type Question:

Q1.Who was Rajkumar Shukla? Why did he come to Lucknow?
ANSWER:  Rajkumar Shukla was a poor peasant from Champaran district in Bihar. He had come to Lucknow, where a Congress session was being held, to complain about the injustice of the landlord system in Bihar.

Q2. Where is Champaran district situated? What did the peasants grow there? How did they use their harvest?
ANSWER: Champaran district of Bihar is situated in the foothills of the Himalayas, near the kingdom of Nepal. Under an ancient arrangement, the Champaran peasants were sharecroppers. They had to grow indigo on 15 per cent of the land and give it to the English estate owners as rent.

Q3. How did the development of synthetic indigo affect the English estate owners and the Indian tenants?
ANSWER:  The English estate owners saw that indigo cultivation was no longer profitable.Ihey wanted money from the sharecroppers as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. They obtained agreements from their tenants to this effect and extorted money illegally and deceitfully.

Q4. How did the Indian peasants react to the new agreement released them from sharecropping arrangement?
ANSWER:  The sharecropping arrangement was troublesome to the peasants. Many of them signed the new agreement willingly. Some resisted and engaged lawyers. Then they came to know about synthetic indigo. The peasants wanted their money back.

Q5. Why do you think Gandhi was not permitted to draw water from Rajendra Prasad’s well at Patna?

ANSWER:  The servants of Rajendra Prasad thought Gandhi to be another peasant. They did not know him. They were not certain whether he was an untouchable or not. They feared that some drops from his bucket might pollute the entire well. So, he was not permitted to draw water from the well.

Q6. Why did Gandhi decide to go first to Muzaffarpur before going to Champaran:
ANSWER:  Gandhi wanted to obtain more complete information about conditions than Shukla was capable of imparting. Muzaffarpur lawyers, who frequently represented peasant groups in courts, brief Gandhi about their cases.

Q7. Why did Gandhi chide the lawyers? What according to him was the real relief for the sharecroppers?
ANSWER:  Gandhi chided the lawyers for collecting big fee from the poor sharecroppers. He thought that taking such cases to the court did little good to the crushed and fear-stricken peasants. The relief for them, according to Gandhi, was to be free from fear.

Q8. How did Ga n dhi begin his mission in Champaran ? How far did his efforts prove successful ?
ANSWER:  He began by trying to get the facts. First, he visited the secretary of the British landlord’s association. He told Gandhi that they could give no information to an outsider. Then Gandhi called on the British official commissioner of the Tirhut Division. The commissioner tried to bully Gandhi and advised him to leave Tirhut.

Q9. How did Gandhi react to the commissioner’s advice? Where did he go and how did people react to his arrival?
ANSWER:  Gandhiji did not leave Tirhut division. Instead, he went to Motihari, the capital of Champaran. Several lawyers accompanied him. At the railway station, a very large crowd of people greeted Gandhi.

Q10. Where did Gandhiji want to go? What happened to him on the way? 
ANSWER: Gandhiji wanted to go to a nearby village where a peasant had been maltreated. He had not gone far when the police superintendent’s messenger overtook him and ordered him to return to town in his carriage. Gandhiji obeyed the order and returned with him.

Q11. ‘In consequence, Gandhi received a summons to appear in the court next day.’Which events of the previous day led to this state of affairs?
ANSWER:  The police superintendent’s messenger served an official notice on Gandhi. It ordered him to quit Champaran immediately. Gandhi signed a receipt for the notice. He wrote on the receipt that he would disobey the order. Hence, he was summoned to appear in the court.

Q12. What according to Gandhi was the beginning of the poor peasants’ ‘Liberation front fear of the British’ ?
ANSWER: The next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. They had heard that a Mahatma who wanted to help them was in trouble with the authorities. They spontaneously demonstrated, in thousands, arround the courthouse. Gandhiji called their action of protest as their liberation from fear of the British.

Q13. Why did Gandhiji feel that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless?[Delhi 2014]
ANSWER:  Gandhiji felt that taking the Champaran case to the court was useless. Because the real relief for the peasants would come only when they become fearless. The peasants were in acute panic.

Q14. What was the “conflict of duties” in which Gandhi was involved?
ANSWER: First, he did not want to set a bad example as a law breaker. Second, he wanted to render the “humanitarian and national service” for which he had come. He respected the lawful authority, but disregarded the order to leave to obey the voice of his conscience.

Q15. What according to Rajendra Prasad, was the upshot of the consultations of the lawyers regarding the injustice to sharecroppers?
ANSWER:  They thought that Gandhi was a total stranger. Yet he was ready to go to prison for the sake of the peasants. On the other hand, the lawyers were the residents of nearby districts. They also claimed to have served these peasants. It would be shameful desertion if they should go home then.

Q16. “Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.” How?
ANSWER:  A case against Gandhi was initiated for disregarding government orders. The spontaneous demonstration of thousands of peasants baffled the officials. The judge was requested to postpone the trial. Gandhi refused to furnish bail. The judge released him without bail. Several days later Gandhi received an official letter. The case against him had been dropped. Thus, civil disobedience had triumphed.

Q17. What do you think, led Gandhi to exclaim “The battle of Champaran is won”?
ANSWER:  Gandhi was ready to go to jail fighting against the injustice to the sharecroppers. Many prominent lawyers had come from all over Bihar to advise and help him. At first, they said they would go back if Gandhi went to prison. Later, they had consultations. They told Gandhi they were ready to follow him into jail. This support made Gandhi extremely happy and confident. This confidence led him to exclaim that the battle of Champaran was won.

Q18. How did Gandhi and the lawyers try to secure justice for the sharecroppers?
ANSWER:  They started conducting a detailed enquiry into the grievances of the peasants. Depositions by about ten thousand peasants were written down. Notes were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area came alive with the activities of the investigators. The landlords raised loud protests.

Q19. What was the reaction of Gandhi and his associates when he was summoned to the lieutenant governor?
ANSWER:  In June, Gandhiji was summoned to Sir Edward Gait, the Lieutenant Governor. Anything could happen. Gandhi met his leading associates before going. Detailed plans for civil disobedience were chalked out in case he should not return.

Q20. What was the outcome of the four protracted interviews Gandhiji had with the Lieutenant Governor? 
ANSWER:  An official commission of enquiry into the sharecroppers’ situation was appointed. This commission consisted of landlords, government officials and Gandhi as the sole representative of the peasants.

Q21. Why did the big planters agree in principle to make refund to the peasants?
ANSWER:  The official inquiry assembled a huge quantity of evidence against the big planters. The crushing evidence forced the big planters to agree in principle to make refund to the peasants.

Q22. What amount of repayment did the big planters think Gandhi would demand? What did Gandhi ask? What amount was finally settled?
ANSWER: They thought Gandhi would demand repayment in full of the money they had extorted from the sharecroppers. Gandhi asked only 50 per cent. The planters offered to refund up to 25 per cent. Gandhi was adamant on 50 per cent. The deadlock was broken when Gandhi agreed to a settlement of 25 per cent refund to peasants.

Q23. HQW did the refund-settlement influence the peasant-landlord relationship in Champaran?
ANSWER: Before the settlement of the refund, the planters had behaved as lords above the law. Now the peasant saw that he had rights and defenders. He learned courage. Within a few years, the British planters abandoned their estates. The peasants became masters of the land. There were no sharecropers now.

Q24. Which other spheres besides political or economic fields received Gandhi’s attention during his long stay in Champaran?
ANSWER: The cultural and social backwardness of the Champaran areas pained Gandhi. He appealed for teachers. Several persons responded to his call. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community sanitation. With the help of a doctor and three medicines, they tried to fight the miserable health conditions.

Q25.“This was typical Gandhi pattern” observes Louis Fischer. What do you learn about Gandhian politics from the extract ‘Indigo’?
ANSWER: Gandhi’s politics was intermixed with the practical, everyday life of the millions of Indians. This was not a loyalty to abstractions. It was a loyalty to living human beings. In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free.

Q26. How did Gandhi teach his followers a lesson of self-reliance?
ANSWER: During the Champaran action, Gandhi’s lawyer friends thought it would be good if C.F. Andrews stayed on in Champaran and helped them. Gandhi opposed this idea as it showed the weakness of their heart. Their cause was just and they must rely upon themselves to win this unequal fight. They should not seek the support of Mr Andrews because he happened to be an Englishman.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q1. What solution to the problems of the poor did Gandhi suggest? How far did the Champaran movement help in this direction?
OR
“The real relief for them is to be free from fear”, remarked Gandhi. What do you think, was “the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British” ?
ANSWER:  The sharecropper peasants had to grow indigo on 15 per cent of their holdings and surrender the indigo harvest as rent to the landlord. When Germany developed synthetic indigo, the British planters started extracting money illegally and deceitfully as compensation from the peasants for being released from the 15 per cent arrangement. The peasants were made to sign new agreements and pay money. The planters behaved as lords above the law. Many peasants engaged lawyers at hefty fees and went to courts.
The Muzaffarpur lawyers briefed Gandhi about the peasants for whom they frequently represented in courts. Gandhi realised that these peasants were badly crushed and fear- stricken. Freedom from fear was more important than legal justice for them. Gandhiji was ready to court arrest for them. Thousands of peasants demonstrated spontaneously around the court. The government had to release Gandhi without bail. This voluntary uprising of the peasants marked the beginning of their liberation from the fear of the British.

Q2. Why was Gandhi summoned to appear in the court? How did he gain his liberty ?
OR
‘Civil disobedience had triumphed, the first time in modern India.’Relate the events during Gandhi’s stay in Champaran that led to the triumph.
ANSWER:  Gandhi had reached Motihari, the Capital of Champaran, to study the problems of the sharecropper peasants. He was on his way to a neighbouring village, where a peasant was ill-treated. On the way, he was stopped by the police superintendent’s messenger and ordered to return to town. When he reached home, he was served with an official notice to quit Champaran at once. Gandhi wrote on the receipt that he would disobey the order. So Gandhi received a summons to appear in the court the next day.
Next morning the town of Motihari was black with peasants. Thousands of peasants demonstrated voluntarily outside the court. The prosecutor requested the judge to postpone the trial. Gandhi protested against the delay. He read out a statement pleading guilty. He asked the penalty. The judge announced that he would pronounce the sentence after a two-hour recess. He asked Gandhi to furnish bail for that period. Gandhi refused. The judge released him without bail. After the recess, the judge said that he would not deliver the judgement for several days. Meanwhile he allowed Gandhi to remain at liberty.
Several days later Gandhi received a letter. The case against him had been dropped. Thus, civil disobedience had triumphed, for the first time in India.

Q3. Give an account of Gandhi’s efforts to secure justice for the poor indigo sharecroppers of Champaran.
OR
“Indigo sharecropping disappeared.” Which factors do you think, helped to achieve freedom for the fear-stricken peasants of Champaran?
ANSWER:  Gandhi went to Champaran on receiving reports of exploitation of the poor sharecropper peasants at the hands of British planters. He began by trying to get the facts. The British landlords as well as the Commissioner of Tirhut were non-cooperative. Lawyers from MuZaffarpur briefed him about the court cases of these peasants.
Gandhi and the lawyers collected depositions by about ten thousand peasants. Notes were made on other evidence. Documents were collected. The whole area throbbed with the activities of the investigators and forceful protests of landlords.
The lieutenant governor summoned Gandhi. After four protracted interviews an official commission of inquiry was appointed to look into the indigo sharecroppers’ condition. Gandhi was the sole representative of the peasants. The official inquiry assembled huge quantity of evidence against the big planters. They agreed, in principle, to make refunds to the peasants. After consultation, a settlement of 25 per cent refund to the farmers was agreed on. This was a moral victory of the peasants. They recognised their rights and learned courage.
Within a few years the British planters gave up their estates. These now went back to the peasants. They became the masters of land. Thus, indigo sharecropping disappeared.

Q4. How did Gandhi work for rural uplift during his stay in Champarant
ANSWER:  Gandhi wanted to do something to remove the cultural and social backwardness in Champaran villages. He appealed for teachers. Two young disciples of Gandhi, Mahadev Desai and Narhari Parikh and their wives volunteered themselves for work. Several others responded from distant parts of the country. Mrs. Kasturba Gandhi and Devdas, Gandhi’s youngest son, arrived from the Ashram. Primary schools were opened in six villages. Kasturba taught the ashram rules on personal cleanliness and community cleanliness. She also talked to women about their filthy clothes.
Health conditions were miserable. Gandhi got a doctor to volunteer his services for six months. Only three medicines were available: Castor oil, quinine and sulphur ointment. Anyone who showed a coated tongue was given a dose of castor oil; anybody with malaria fever received quinine plus castor oil; anybody with skin eruptions received ointment plus caster oil.
Thus, Gandhi never contented himself with large political or economic solutions. He worked for total uplift of villages and the poor sections of the society.

Q5. ‘Self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound together.’ Elucidate on the basis of reading ‘Indigo’ by Louis Fischer.
OR
‘The Champaran episode was a turning-point in Gandhi’s life. Explain with examples from ‘Indigo’ by Louis Fischer.
ANSWER: Gandhi stayed in Champaran for a long time. The Champaran episode was a turning point in his life. It was during this struggle in 1917 that he decided to urge the departure of the British.
Champaran episode did not begin as an act of defiance. It grew out of an attempt to make the sufferings of large numbers of poor peasants less severe. Gandhi concentrated on their practical day to day problems. He analysed the root cause of the problem-fear, and tried to eradicate it. The voluntary demonstration of the poor peasants against the government for putting Gandhi in trouble was the beginning of the end of their fear of the British.
In everything Gandhi did, he tried to mould a new free Indian who could stand on his own feet and thus make India free. He taught his lawyer friends a lesson in self-reliance by opposing the involvement of C.F. Andrews, an Englishman in .their unequal fight. His help would be a prop. This would reflect their weakness. Their cause was just and they must rely on themselves to win the battle. Thus self-reliance, Indian independence and help to sharecroppers were all bound together.

Q6. Justify the appropriateness of the title ‘Indigo’ to this extract.
ANSWER:  The title ‘Indigo’ is quite appropriate, to the point and suggestive. It at once focuses our * attention on the central issue-the exploitation of the indigo sharecropper peasants at the hands of cruel British planters. They compelled them through a long term agreement to raise indigo on 15 per cent of their landholding and surrender the entire indigo harvest as rent.
After the development of synthetic indigo by Germany, the British planters extracted money from the peasants as compensation for being released from the 15 per cent agreement. The peasants who wanted their money back had filed civil suits. The planters who behaved as lords above the law and were dreaded by the poor were obliged to surrender part of money and with it part of their prestige.
The extract also points out the work done by Gandhi and his associates to improve the economic, political, cultural and social fife of the indigo sharecroppers. Their education, health and hygiene also received due attention. The plight of indigo sharecroppers, then- struggle under Gandhi’s leadership and ultimate victory when Indigo sharecropping disappeared from important landmarks. Thus, the title ‘Indigo’ is highly suggestive and apt.

Q7. What impression do you form about Gandhi on reading the chapter ‘Indigo’ ?
ANSWER:  The chapter ‘Indigo’ pays a tribute to the leadership shown by Mahatma Gandhi to secure justice for oppressed people through convincing argumentation and negotiation. Gandhi had a magnetic attraction and great persuasive power. He could draw people of all classes to himself and make them partners in the freedom movement. Even ordinary people were inspired to make contribution to the freedom movement.
Gandhi emerges as a champion of the downtrodden and the oppressed. Rural uplift was his favourite programme. His knowledge of legal procedure and respect for law is also highlighted. He does not want to be a lawbreaker. At the same time he wants to render the humanitarian and national service in obedience to the higher law of our being, the voice of conscience. He also appears as a polite and friendly person. Gandhi’s ability to read the minds of others made them speechless. He believed in self-reliance, just cause and purity of means to achieve India’s Independence.

Q8. Why is the Champaran episode considered to be the beginning of the Indian struggle for Independence? [All India 2014]
ANSWER:  The Champaran episode began as an attempt to ease the sufferings of a large number of ’ peasants. He got spontaneous support of thousands of people. Gandhi declared that the British could not order him about in his own country. Under his leadership, the peasants became aware of their rights. Raj Kumar Shukla, a farmer of Champaran helped him a lot in bringing about the change. Other peasants too fought courageously and contributed in their own way to the movement. It resulted in their winning the battle of Champaran. The effects of Gandhi’s method of non-violence and non-cooperation proved very fruitful in this movement. Hence, it can be said that the Champaran episode is the beginning of the Indian struggle for independence.

Think As you Read

Q.1 From where did the peddler get the idea of the world being a rattrap?
ANSWER:
One day the peddler was thinking of his rattraps. Suddenly he was struck by an idea that the whole world with its lands and seas, its cities and villages was nothing but a big rattrap. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food as baits in the same manner as the rattrap offered cheese and pork. As soon as someone touches the bait, he finds himself in the trap.

Q.2 Why was he amused by this idea?
ANSWER:
The peddler believed that the world with all its riches and joys, food and shelter appears as a rattrap to tempt people. The world had never been kind to him. It gave him unwonted joy to think ill of it. So he was amused to think about the people who were already caught in the trap and others circling around the bait.

Q.3Did the peddler expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter?

ANSWER:
No, the peddler did not expect the kind of hospitality that he received from the crofter. This was because usually he was greeted by ‘sour’ and unfriendly faces whenever he knocked on doors and requested for shelter.

Q.4 Why was the crofter so talkative and friendly with the peddler?

ANSWER:
The crofter was an old man without wife and children. He was living a monotonous and dull life in solitude. He welcomed his guest very warmly. He offered him food and shelter. Naturally, he was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. So he was talkative and friendly with the peddler.

Q.5 Why did he show the thirty kroner to the peddler?
ANSWER:
The crofter was very proud of his cow that gave him enough milk to support him. He told peddler that he had got thirty kronor last month as payment by supplying the milk to creamery. The peddler seemed doubtful about it. So, in order to assure his guest he showed thirty kronor to the peddler.

Q.6 Did the peddler respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter?

ANSWER:
No, the peddler did not respect the confidence reposed in him by the crofter. In fact, he betrayed his trust by robbing the thirty kronors from him.
However, later in the story, his conscience was awakened by his stay with the Willmanssons and he decided to return the money.

Q.7What made the peddler think that he had indeed fallen into a rattrap?

ANSWER:
After stealing the crofter’s money, the peddler believed that it was not safe to walk on the public highway. So he went into the woods. But it was a big and confusing forest. He walked and walked but could not get out of it. The forest having its trunks, branches and thickets appeared to him a big rattrap. Then he realized that he had fallen into the rattrap.

Q.8 Why did the ironmaster speak kindly to the peddler and invite him home?
ANSWER:
In the uncertain reflection from furnace, the ironmaster mistook the peddler as his old regimental comrade, Captain Von Stahle. His condition was very miserable. So being an old acquaintance he wanted to help him. He also wanted his company on Christmas Eve. So the ironmaster spoke kindly to the peddler and invited him home.

Q.9Why did the peddler decline the invitation?

ANSWER:
The peddler knew that the ironmaster had mistaken him as his old regiment comrade. The invitation by the ironmaster did not please the peddler since the he had the stolen money in his pocket. He thought that it would be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den. He was feeling guilty and frightened. So he declined the invitation.

Q.10What made the peddler accept Edla Willmansson’s invitation?

ANSWER:
Edla Willmansson had better power of persuasion. She looked at the peddler quite compassionately. She knew he was afraid. So she assured him that no harm would come to him and he would be allowed to leave just as freely as he came. Her friendly manner made the peddler feel confidence in her and accepted the invitation.

Q.11What doubts did Edla have about the peddler?

ANSWER:
When Edla went to the iron mill to fetch the peddler, she noticed that he was frightened. She had doubts that the peddler had stolen something or had escaped prison. His appearance and behaviour also left her in doubts whether he was actually an educated man, as claimed by her father.

Q.12When did the ironmaster realise his mistake?

ANSWER:
The ironmaster realised his mistake the next day when the peddler turned up at breakfast. The valet had bathed the peddler, cut his hair, shaved him and given him clothes. The ironmaster realised that he had been deceived in recognising the person because of the reflection of the furnace, the previous night.

Q.13 What did the peddler say in his defence when it was clear that he was not the person the ironmaster had thought he was?

ANSWER:
The ironmaster came to know the reality about the peddler the next morning. The peddler in his defence explained that he never pretended to be what he was not. He showed himself as a poor trader. He only desired to sleep in the forge for the night. He had declined the ironmaster’s invitation again and again.

Q.14 Why did Edla still entertain the peddler even after she knew the truth about him?

ANSWER:
The peddler’s true identity came to light the next morning. But Edla served the peddler not as her father’s old comrade. Even after knowing the reality about the peddler she wanted him to stay with them on Christmas Eve and enjoy a day of peace. In her view it was not proper to chase away a person whom they had invited on Christmas.

Q15 Why was Edla happy to see the gift left by the peddler?

ANSWER:
When Edla opened the package of gift left by the peddler she felt very happy. She found a small rattrap with three wrinkled ten kronor notes and a letter addressed to her. He had left the 30 kronors for its rightful owner. He was not a thief but his circumstances made him so. She was happy to note that after all he had changed.

Q.16Why did the peddler sign himself as Captain von Stahle?

ANSWER:
The peddler was a vagabond. When he was invited by the ironmaster, he behaved like a real captain. In this role, he raised himself above the petty temptation. Kindness and hospitality shown by Edla had transformed him completely. He wanted to behave nicely with them.So he signed himself as Captain Von Sthale.

Understanding the Text

Q.1How does the peddler interpret the acts of kindness and hospitality shown by the crofter, the ironmaster and his daughter?

ANSWER:
The different ways in which the peddler repaid the three people corresponds to the way he interpreted the kindness of the three people. The peddler realised that for the crofter it was his craving for company that led him to offer his hospitality. The ironmaster’s hospitality apparently is limited to his acquaintances. It was only the daughter who genuinely offered warmth and goodness to the peddler. He was touched by Edla’s kindness and it made him want to act differently. He repaid her good treatment with a gesture of true gratitude.

Q.2What are the instances in the story that show that the character of the ironmaster is different from that of his daughter in many ways?

ANSWER:
The ironmaster misunderstood the peddler for an old acquaintance,whereas his daughter could make out that the man was afraid, which was suggestive of himhaving stolen something. Though the father and the daughter express compassion for the vagabond both do so for different reasons .The ironmaster was sure to help the vagabond get over his tramp manners because he had mistaken the latter for his old comrade. The daughter however wishes to feed him and welcome him inspite of knowing that he was not Captain Von Stahle. The father acts impulsively and casually and invites him without confirming the stranger’s identity. On realizing his mistake he recklessly wants to hand him over to the sheriff. Only when he is threatened to be ensnared by the rattrap of this world that he thinks otherwise. Edla on the other hand shows a strong sense of observation. She rightly judges him to be a tramp without any education. She persuades her father to let him stay because they had promised him Christmas cheer. When the blacksmith’s daughter infects the protagonist with her true altruism the peddler’s inner soul experiences a rapid transformation form an ugly duckling to a dazzling swan.

Q.3The story has many instances of unexpected reactions from the characters to others’ behaviour. Pick out instances of these surprises.

ANSWER:
The first instance is that of the crofter’s hospitality to the peddler. The rattrap peddler, used to being shooed away, was surprised at the friendly behaviour of the crofter. The peddlar was also surprised at the sudden invitation given by the ironmaster, who was himself shocked to realise his mistake in recognising the peddler, the next day. Another unexpected reaction, for both the peddler and the ironmaster, is Edla’s intervention to seek peddler’s presence for Christmas. However, the most unexpected reaction is from the peddler when he leaves the package and the letter for Edla, showing gratitude to the girl’s hospitality and respect for him.

Q.4What made the peddler finally change his ways?

ANSWER:
Edla Willmansson treated the tramp in a friendly manner. She was nice and kind to her.
She interceded on his behalf when her father was about to turn him out. She still entertained the peddler even after knowing the truth about him. She offered him the snit as Christmas present and invited him to spend the next Christmas with them. Her love and understanding aroused the essential goodness of the peddler and he changed his ways.

Q.5 How does the metaphor of the rattrap serve to highlight the human predicament?

ANSWER:
The metaphor of the rattrap signifies that the world exists only to trap people by setting baits for them. Whenever someone is tempted by the luxuries, he ends up being caught in a dangerous trap. The author, thus, makes a much deeper comment on the woeful plight of those in pursuit of the worldly pleasures, which often lead them to unfortunate situations. The story helps in realising the importance of general goodness and kindness. The peddler is saved from the snare of the huge rattrap called world only when he appreciates the kindness to him by Edla.

SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS :

Q1. How did the peddler of rattraps manage in survive?
ANSWER: He made rattraps of wire and went around selling them. He got material for making them
by begging in the big stores or at big farms. Since his business was not quite profitable, he would beg or steal in order to survive.

Q2. How did the peddler look? Was he different from people of his type?
ANSWER:  He was a man with a long beard, dirty, ragged, and with a bunch of rattraps dangling on his chest. His clothes were in rags, his cheeks were sunken, and hunger gleamed in his eyes. No, he looked like the way people of his type usually did.

Q3. What idea. did he get about the world? What were its implications?
ANSWER:  He got the idea that the whole world was only a big trap. It sets baits for people exactly as the rattrap offered cheese and pork. It offered riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing as baits. It closed on the person who let himself be tempted to touch the bait. Then everything came to an end.

Q4. Why did the peddler think of the world as a rattrap? What became his cherished pastime?
ANSWER: The world had never been kind to the peddler. So, he got unusual joy to think ill of the world. His pastime was to think of people he knew who had let themselves be caught in the dangerous snare of the world, and of others who were still circling around the bait.

Q5. What hospitality did the peddler with rattraps receive from the old crofter?
ANSWER:  The old crofter served the peddler hot porridge for supper and gave him tabacco for his pipe. He entertained his guest by playing cards with him. He also informed him about his prosperous past life and how his cow supported him in his old age now.

Q6. ‘The old man was just as generous with his confidences as with his porridge and tobacco’. What personal information did he impart to his guest ?
ANSWER: The old man told his guest that in his days of prosperity he had been a crofter at Ramsjo Ironworks. Then he worked on the land. Now he was unable to do physical labour. His cow supported him now. He supplied her milk to the creamery everyday. Last month he had received thirty kronor in payment.

Q7. Where had the old man put his money? Why did he hold it up before the eyes of his guest and what did he do later on?
ANSWER: The man had put his money in a leather pouch which hung on a nail in the window frame. He picked out three wrinMed ten-kronor bills for his guest to see as he has seemed sceptical. Then he stuffed them back into the pouch.

Q8.‘ The next day both men got up in good, season.’ Why? Who are the men and what did they do after getting up?
ANSWER: The two men are the old crofter and his guest-the peddler with, the rattraps. The crofter was in a hurry to milk his cow. His guest did not want to stay in bed when the host had risen. They left the cottage at the same time. The crofter locked the door and put the key in his pocket. The peddler bade him goodbye and thanked him. Then each went his own way.

Q9. Why did rattrap peddler return and how did he rob the old crofter?
ANSWER:  The rattrap peddler was tempted by the thirty kronors he had seen in the leather pouch of the old crofter. He returned half an hour later, smashed a window pane, stuck in his hand and got hold of the pouch. He took out the money and thrust it into his own pocket. Thus, he robbed the old crofter.

Q10. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? Why did he discontinue walking on the public highway?
ANSWER: At first he felt quite pleased with his smartness. Then he realised the danger of being caught by the police with the stolen money with him. He decided to discontinue walking on the public highway and turn off the road, into the woods.

Q11. Why did Edla plead with her father not to send the vagabond away? [All India 2014]
ANSWER: Edla was kind and sympathetic. She was much pained by the plight of the peddler. Edla requested her father to spend a day with them in peace as a respite from the struggle.

Q12. How did the peddler feel while walking through the wood? What did he realise?
ANSWER:  During the first hours the woods caused him no difficulty. Later in the day, it became worse as it was a big and confusing forest. The paths twisted back and forth. He kept on walking but did not come to the end of the wood. He realised that he had been walking around in the same part of the forest.

Q13. What do you learn about the Ramsjo Ironworks from ‘The Rattrap’?
ANSWER: The Ramsjo Ironworks used to be a large plant, with smelter, rolling mill and forge. In the summer time long fines of heavily loaded barges and scows slid down the canal. In the winter time, the roads near the mill were black from charcoal dust.

Q14. Why did the blacksmith fail to notice the entry of the peddler in the forge?
ANSWER: The forge was full of many sounds. The big bellows groaned and the burning coal cracked. The fire boy shovelled charcoal into the maw of the fumance with a great deal of clatter. A water fall roared outside. Sharp north wind made the rain strike the brick-tiled roof. Due to all this noise the blacksmith failed to notice the peddlar’s entry.

Q15. ‘The blacksmiths glanced only casually and indifferently at the intruder’, What prompted them to do so?
ANSWER:  Usually poor vegabonds, without any better shelter for the night, felt attracted to the forge by the glow of fight which escaped through the sooty panes. They came in to warm themselves in front of the fire. The intruder looked like other people of his type usually did.

Q16. What did the tramp ask? Was his request granted? What did he do then?
ANSWER: The tramp asked permission to stay. The blacksmiths hardly deigned to look at him. The master blacksmith nodded a haughty consent without uttering a word. The tramp too did not say anything. He had come there only to warm himself and sleep. So, he eased his way close to the furnace. ‘

Q17. Who was the owner of the Ramsjo Iron Mill? Why did he come to the forge that night?
ANSWER:  The owner of that mill was a very prominent ironmaster. His greatest ambition was to ship out good iron to the market. He insisted on quality and kept a watch on the work both night and day. He came to the forge on one of his nightly rounds of inspection.

Q18. What did the ironmaster notice in the forge? How did he react then?
ANSWER: The ironmaster noticed a person in dirty rags lying quite close to the furnace. Steam rose from his wet rags. The ironmaster went near him and looked at him very carefully. Then he removed his slouch hat to get a better view of his face. He thought that he was an old acquaintance of his and said : “But of course it is you, Nils Olof!”

Q19. Why did the man with the rattraps not want to undeceive the ironmaster all at once?
ANSWER: The peddler thought that if the fine gentleman thought he was an old acquaintance, he might perhaps throw him a couple of kronor. So he did not want to undeceive him all at once.

Q20. What observation did the ironmaster make about the stranger? What did he ask him to do?

ANSWER:  The ironmaster saw the stranger in the uncertain fight of the fumance and mistook him for his old regimental comrade. He said that it was a mistake on his part to have resigned from the regiment. If he had been in service at that time, it would never have happened. He asked the stranger to go home with him.

Q21. What did the peddler think about going up to the manor house? How did he react to the ironmaster’s invitation?
ANSWER: The peddler looked quite alarmed. He still had the stolen thirty kronor on him. Going up to the manor house would be like throwing himself voluntarily into the lion’s den. He did not feel pleased to go there and be received by the owner like an old regimental comrade. So he declined the invitation.

Q22. What did the ironmaster assume to be the reason behind his old comrade s refusal? Hoiw did he try to reassure him?
ANSWER: The ironmaster assumed that his old regimental comrade felt embarrassed because of his miserable clothing. He said that his house was not so fine that he couldn’t show himself there. He lived there only with his daughter as his wife Elizabeth was dead and his sons were abroad.

Q23. What reason did the ironmaster advance in support of his invitation to the stranger?
ANSWER:  He said that they didn’t have any company for Christmas. He thought it was quite bad. He requested the stranger to come along with him and help them make the Christmas food disappear a little faster.

Q24. ‘The ironmaster saw that he must give in.’ What made him give in? What did he say? What did the blacksmith think about the ironmaster?
ANSWER:  The stranger declined the ironmaster’s invitation thrice. The ironmaster then told Stjemstrom, the blacksmith that Captain von Stahle preferred to stay with him that night. He laughed to himself as he went away. The blacksmith, who knew the ironmaster, understood very well that he had not said his last word.

Q25. Who was the new guest at the forge ? Why had that person come there and how did he I she look’? Who accompanied her and why? 
ANSWER: The new guest was the ironmaster’s daughter. She drove in there in a carriage along with a valet who carried on his arm a big fur coat. She had been sent there by her father hoping that she had better powers of persuasion that he himself. She was not at all pretty, but seemed modest and quite Shy.

Q26. Describe the scene at the forge when Edla Willmansson came there.
ANSWER:  The master blacksmith and his apprentice sat on a bench. Iron and charcoal glowed in the furnace. The stranger had stretched himself out on the floor. He lay with a piece of pig iron under his head and his hat pulled down over his eyes.

Q27. What did the young girl notice about the stranger? What did she conclude? How did she make him feel confidence in her?
ANSWER: The stranger jumped up abruptly and seemed to be quite frightened. She looked at him sympathetically, but the man still looked afraid. She concluded that either he had stolen something or else he had escaped from jail. She spoke to him in a very friendly manner to make him feel confidence in her.

Q28. What did the peddler of rat traps think while he was riding up to the manor house?
ANSWER: Whfie he was riding up to the manor house he had evil forebodings. He questioned himself why he had taken that fellow’s money. He thought that he was sitting in the trap and would never get out of it.

Q29. Why did the peddler derive pleasure from his idea of the world as a rattrap? [Delhi 2014]
ANSWER:  The peddler was very happy with the idea of the world as a rattrap because he was never given kindly treatment by the world. He had quite different feeling for it and loved to think ill of it by comparing it to a rattrap.

Q30. How did the ironmaster try to convince his daughter about the stranger’?
ANSWER:  He asked his daughter to have some patience. She would see something different as soon as the stranger got clean and dressed up. Last night he was naturally embarrassed. He asserted that tramp manners would fall away from him with tramp clothes.

Q31. What impression did the well-groomed guest make? How did the ironmaster react and why?
ANSWER: He looked truly clean and well dressed. The ironmaster did not seem pleased. He looked at him with contracted brow. It was because he had made a mistake in identifying the person in uncertain light at night. He demanded an explanation from the man.

Q32. What did the ironmaster threaten to do after knowing the mistake? How did the stranger save himself?
ANSWER:  The ironmaster threatened to call in the sheriff. The stranger told him that the Sheriff might lock him up for dissembling. He reminded the ironmaster that a day might come when he might get tempted, and then he would be caught in the big rattrap of the world. The metaphor amused the ironmaster. He dropped the idea of sending for the sheriff, but asked the stranger to leave at once.

Q33. ‘The daughter stood there quite embarrassed and hardly knew what to answer.’ What embarrassed her? Why did she intercede for the vagabond?
ANSWER: The daughter had drawn plans to make things homelike and typical of Christmas, for the poor hungry wretch. She could not get away from this idea at once. She felt embarrassed when her father asked the man to get out. She interceded for the vagabond to persuade her father to let him stay for Christmas.

Q34. What arguments did the young girl give in favour of the stranger’s stay there?
ANSWER:  She said that the whole year long, the stranger walked around. He was probably not welcome or made to feel at home even at a single place. He was chased away wherever he turned. He was always afraid of being arrested and cross-examined. She wanted him to enjoy a day of peace with them-just one in the whole year.

Q35. “He only stared at the young girl in boundless amazement.” What made the man with the rattraps react in this manner?
ANSWER:  The young girl told him after the Christmas dinner that the suit he wore was to be a Christmas present from her father. He did not have to return it. If he wanted to spend next Christmas Eve peacefully, without any evil befalling him, he would be welcomed back again. This amazed him.

Q36. “The young girl sat and hung her head even more dejectedly than usual.” What two reasons forced her to behave in this manner?
ANSWER:  First, she had learned at church that one of the old crofters of the ironworks had been robbed by a man who went around selling rattraps. Second, her father taunted her and held her responsible for letting that “fine fellow” into the house.

Q37. Sum up the contents of the letter addressed to Miss Willmansson.
ANSWER: The stranger did not want her to be embarrassed at the Christmas season with a thief. As she had been nice to him as if he were a captain, he would be nice to her as if he were a real captain. She asked her to return the money to the old crofter. The rattrap was a present from a rat who would have been caught in the world’s rattrap if he had not been raised to captain. It was as captain that he got power to clear himself.

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS :

Q1. What is the theme of the story ‘The Rattrap’ ? How has this theme been developed?
ANSWER: The theme of the story is that most human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material benefit. However, every human being has an essential goodness that can be awakened through understanding and love. A human being has the tendency to redeem himself from dishonest ways.
The theme is developed with the help of the metaphor of the rattrap. The peddler of rattraps calls the world a big rattrap. The material benefits like riches and joys, shelter and food, heat and clothing are temptations that that allure a person to fall into the rattrap of the world exactly as the bait of cheese and pork attract a rat to fall into the rattrap. Once someone takes the bait, the world closes in on him and then everything is lost.
The peddler is tempted by the thirty kronors of the old crofter. He steals the money. Now he is afraid of being caught and moves through the woods. It is the kind, sympathetic, loving and generous treatment given by Edla Willmansson that helps him get himself free from the rattrap of the world.

Q2. Give an account of the peddler’s meeting with the old crofter. How does the peddler conduct himself? What light does this episode throw on human nature?
ANSWER:  One dark evening the peddler reached a little gray cottage by the roadside. He knocked on the door to ask shelter for the night. The owner, an old man without wife or child, welcomed him. He was happy to get someone to talk to in his loneliness. He served him hot porridge for supper and gave him tobacco for his pipe. Then he played cards with him till bed time.
The host told the peddler that in his days of prosperity, he worked on land at Ramsjo Ironworks. Now his cow supported him. He sold her milk at the creamery everyday. He showed the peddler the thirty kronor notes he got as payment that month. Then he hung the leather pouch on a nail in the window frame. Next morning the crofter went to milk the cow, and the peddler went away. However, he returned after half an hour, broke the window pane, took the money out of the leather pouch and hang it back on the nail.This episode shows that in loneliness, human beings crave for company, for social bonding. Secondly, temptations can overpower the greatest philosopher. The peddler who calls the world a rattrap is himself tempted by thirty kronor.

Q3. How did the peddler feel after robbing the crofter? What course did he adopt and how did he react to the new situation? What does his reaction highlight?
ANSWER:  Having robbed his generous host, the peddler felt quite pleased with his smartness. He did not feel any qualms of conscience that he had abused the confidence reposed in him by the crofter. The selfish wretch thought only of his own safety. He realised the danger of being caught by the police with the stolen thirty kronor on his person. Hence, he decided to discontinue walking on the public highway and turn off the road, into the woods.
During the first few hours the woods caused him no difficulty. Later on, it became worse as it was a big and confusing forest. The paths twisted back and forth. He kept on walking but did not come to the end of the wood. He realised that he had only been walking around in the same part of the forest. The forest closed in upon him like an impenetrate prison from which he could never escape.
The reaction of the peddler highlights the predicament of human nature. Temptations lead to evil. The fruits of evil seem pleasant at first, but they deprive man of his goodness and push him into the maze of the world which holds a vice-like grip on him.

Q4. (i) ‘The blacksmiths glanced only casually and indifferently at the intruder.’ (ii)“The ironmaster did not follow the example of the blacksmiths who had hardly deigned to look at the stranger * What do these attitudes reveal? How does the forge-episode help to develop the story? What is its implication?
ANSWER: The blacksmiths display the typical attitude of manual workers and labourers for whom work is the first priority and parasites on human society are drags on the fruit of their labour. The master blacksmith nods a haughty consent without honouring the intruder with a single word. Evidently, he regards the tramp as insignificant.
The ironmaster, who is on his nightly round of inspection, behaves differently. He walks closely up to him and looks him over carefully. Then he removes his slouch hat to get a better view of his face. In the uncertain light of the furnace he mistakes the stranger for his old regimental comrade and requests him to go home with him. When the stranger declines the invitation, the ironmaster sends his daughter to persuade him to spend Christmas Eve with them. Thus the forge episode helps to develop the story.
The episode highlights the difference in the reactions of various persons to the same set of circumstances. This reveals the shades of human nature. It shows that even the person with best discernment may commit an error of judgement.

Q5. Bring out the contrast in the ironmaster’s attitude and behaviour towards the stranger before and after he realises his mistake.
ANSWER: The ironmaster is moved to see his old regimental comrade in a pitiable state. He considers it a mistake on his part to have resigned from the regiment. He insists that his old comrade will go home with him. As the stranger declines the invitation, he thinks that the man feels embarrassed because of his miserable clothing. He explains that he does not have such a fine home that he cannot show himself there. He requests the stranger to provide company to him and his daughter for Christmas. When the stranger refuses thrice, he sends his daughter, with a big fur coat to persuade him. Just before breakfast on Christmas Eve, he thinks of feeding him well and providing him same honourable piece of work.
His behaviour undergoes a U-turn when he looks at the well-groomed stranger and realises his mistake. He expresses his displeasure with a wrinkled brow and demands an explanation from the man. Though the peddler defends himself well saying he never pretended to be someone else, the ironmaster calls him dishonest and threatens to hand him over to the sheriff. When the metaphor of world being a rattrap softens him a bit, he asks the peddler to quit at once.

Q6. What impression do you form of Edla on reading the story ‘The Raitrap’ ?
ANSWER:  Miss Edla Willmansson is the eldest daughter of the owner of the Ramsjo Ironworks. She is not pretty, but modest and quite shy. She is quite obedient and visits the forge at the behest of her father. She has a wonderful power of observation and takes quick judgement. From the stranger’s frightened looks, she concludes that he is either a thief or a runaway convict. She uses her skills of persuasion to make the stranger agree to accompany her home. Her compassionate looks, friendly manner and polite way of address help her. She tells her father that nothing about the man shows that once he was an educated man.
She believes in the spirit of Christmas and intercedes on behalf of the stranger to per suade her father to let him stay and be happy. She first makes a passionate plea and then argues that they should not chase away a person they had invited themselves and promised him Christmas cheer.
Her dejection on learning that the peddler with rattraps was a thief reflects her sensitiveness. The gift of the captain makes her happy. It is her noble action that helps a thief redeem himself. In short, she is an intelligent, affectionate and kind young girl.

Q7. Comment on the efuRng of the story ‘The Rattrap’.
ANSWER:  The story ‘The Rattrap’ has a very beautiful ending. It helps us to realise that all is not lost for human beings who are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits. It is the protagonist of the story—the peddler with the rattraps—who coins the metaphor of the rattrap, falls
himself in it on being tempted and ultimately redeems himself by renouncing the temptation. His admission that he had been the thief, and the treatment he got as a captain, show how love and understanding can transform even a depraved soul. The story thus comes a full circle with the ending. All questions are answered and no loose tags remain hanging.
The ending also pays tribute to the goodness of humanity here exhibited through Miss Edla Willmansson. The happy ending also arouses our optimism and belief in the essential goodness of man and other human virtues. Thus it serves to inspire the readers to do noble acts.

Q8. Do you think the title of the story ‘The Rattrap’ is appropriate? Give reasons to support your answer.
ANSWER:  The story has an appropriate and suggestive title. It at once draws our attention to the central theme—the whole world is a big rattrap. This metaphor helps us to understand the human predicament. All the good things of the world are nothing but baits to tempt a person to fall into the rattrap. Through the character of the peddler, the writer drives home the idea that most human beings are prone to fall into the trap of material benefits.
The story begins with rattraps and ends with a rattrap as a present for someone who has helped a rat to get free from’the rattrap. Even the middle of the story revolves round the rattrap. The actions of the peddler after he steals thirty kronor of the old crofter reveal the inner conflicts, tensions and lack of peace of a person who touches the bait of temptation. Renunciation of the temptation helps in redemption.Thus, we conclude that the title is apt and significant.

TEXTBOOK QUESTION AND ANSWER:

Think As you Read

Q.1 What is the “misadventure” that William Douglas speaks about?

ANSWER:
William O.Douglas had just learnt swimming. One day, an eighteen year old big bruiser picked him up and tossed him into the nine feet deep end of the Y.M.C.A. pool. He hit the water surface in a sitting position. He swallowed water and went at once to the bottom. He nearly died in this misadventure.

Q.2 What were the series of emotions and fears that Douglas experienced when he was thrown into the pool? What plans did he make to come to the surface?

ANSWER:
Douglas was frightened when he was thrown into the pool. However, he was not frightened out of his wits. While sinking down he made a plan. He would make a big jump when his feet hit the bottom. He would come to the surface like a cork, lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool.

Q.3 How did this experience affect him?

ANSWER:
The near death experience of drowning had a very strong impact on his psychology. He was deeply perturbed and shaken by the whole experience. A haunting fear of water took control of his physical strength and emotional balance for many years. As he couldn’t bear being surrounded by water, he was deprived of enjoying any water-related activity.

Q.4 Why was Douglas determined to get over his fear of water?

ANSWER:

Douglas regretted being deprived of enjoying water activities like canoeing, boating, swimming, fishing, etc. The wish to enjoy them and the craving to regain his lost confidence, while being in water, made him try every possible way to get rid of his fear. He was finally able to overcome this mental handicap by getting himself a swimming instructor and further ensuring that no residual fear was left.

Q.5How did the instructor “build a swimmer” out of Douglas?

ANSWER:
The instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece. For three months he held him high on a rope attached to his belt. He went back and forth across the pool. Panic seized the author every time. The instructor taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale and to raise his nose and inhale. Then Douglas had to kick with his legs for many weeks till these relaxed. After seven months the instructor told him to swim the length of the pool.

Q.6 How did Douglas make sure that he conquered the old terror?

ANSWER:
Even after the swimming training was over, Douglas wasn’t confident about his swimming or that he had overcome the fear. He was determined to completely get rid of it forever. He swam alone in the pool. He went to Lake Wentworth to dive. There, he tried every possible stroke he had learnt. He fought back the tiny vestiges of terror that gripped him in middle of the lake. Finally, in his diving expedition in the Warm Lake, he realised that he had truly conquered his old terror.

Understanding the Text

Q.1 How does Douglas make clear to the reader the sense of panic that gripped him as he almost drowned? Describe the details that have made the description vivid.

ANSWER:

Once Douglas was sitting alone at the Y.M.C.A pool waiting for others to come. Then there came a big bruiser of a boy. He tossed him up and threw him into the deep end of the pool. Douglas went deep and swallowed water. He was at the sitting position at the bottom. He was frightened but was not out of his wits. On the way down, he had a strategy in his mind. When his feet touched the bottom, he would make a great spring upward. Then he would paddle to the edge of the pool, but he came up slowly. He opened his eyes and saw dirty water. He was deeply frightened. His legs seemed paralysed. A great force was pulling him down. A stark power overpowered him. He shrieked in the water but only the water heard him. After feeling the tiles under his feet, he jumped withal his might but it made no difference. His lungs ached and heart throbbed. Stark terror took him in its grip. His legs and arms could not move. He again tried for the third time. He searched for air but swallowed water. He felt drowsy and ceased all efforts. He was crossed to oblivion. The curtain of his life fell and he lay unconscious.

Q.2 How did Douglas overcome his fear of water?

ANSWER:
After his misadventure in the pool at the Y.M.C.A, Douglas was amidst the fear of the water. He realised that his fishing trips, canoeing, swimming and boating were over. He tried his best to overcome it but the haunting of the water followed him everywhere. Finally he decided to engage an instructor to learn to swim and overcome his fear. He went to the pool and practiced five days a week, an hour each day. The instructor put a belt around him and a rope was attached to the belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran an overhead cable. Douglas held one end of the rope and went back and forth across the pool. On each trip some of the terror would seize him up. After three months, the tension began to decrease.
Piece by piece he shed the panic. He taught him to put his face under water and exhale. He also learnt how to raise his nose and inhale.
This exercise was repeated hundreds of times. Now he was able to shed part of the fear that seized him under water. He went to lake Wentworth Triggs island and Slamp act island. He swam two miles across the lake. Now he was determined and he swam on. He shouted with joy and he had conquered his fear of water.

Q.3 Why does Douglas as an adult recount a childhood experience of terror and his conquering of it? What larger meaning does he draw from his experience?

ANSWER:
Douglas had two childhood experiences of terror. One at the California beach when the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was terror stricken. At the other occasion he was thrown into the deep end of the Y.M.C.A pool by a big bruiser of a boy. A stark terror overpowered and gripped him. It followed and haunted him wherever he went. He realised that his joys of fishing, canoeing, boating and swimming had ruined. Keeping in view its severe consequences, he engaged an instructor who trained him in swimming and Douglas was able to conquer his fear.
This experience had a deeper meaning for Douglas. Because he had experienced both the sensation of dying and the terror that the fear of it can produce, he learnt the will to live in great intensity. This experience can only be realised by those who had faced to conquer it. This exactly happened with Douglas. He knew: In death, there is peace., there is terror only in the fear of death.’’ Thus one can estimate what matters is the will to live. As Roosevelt said ‘‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’’ So will to live is great and it can take man to touch the highest peaks of life.
Page No: 30

Talking about the text

Q.1 “All we have to fear is fear itself”. Have you ever had a fear that you have now overcome? Share your experience with your partner.

ANSWER:
Roosevelt has appropriately said ‘‘All we have to fear is fear itself.’’ These words have a deeper meaning for all of us. It implies that we fear from fear. Those who have undergone this experience of fear, they can only appreciate its worth. William O. Douglas has faced it twice in life. He had a terrible fear of water. He could not go for swimming, canoeing, boating and rafting etc. He realised that it would ruin his career since it was following and haunting him wherever he went. Fear is our hard core enemy. We must get rid of it at the earliest like Douglas. I too had a terrible experience in my life.
A small tributary flows near our village. During the summer vacation, we used to go there for swimming and bathing. Very often, we were made cautious by the villagers not to bathe in it since there is a deeper hole inside the stream. Being children, we never bothered . One day we took out our clothes and plunged into it. By chance, the water was overflowing the bank and the current was fast. While diving, two among us got stuck into the hole. We cried and cried out. We were going deeper and deeper. We thought that it was the end of our life. One of the boys came outside and saw the villagers. He cried and cried. They came and brought us out of the water. But this enabled us to challenge the fears of life and we can take adventurous life.

Talking about Language

Q.1 If someone else had narrated Douglas’ experience, how would it have differed from this account? Write out a sample paragraph or paragraphs from this text from the point of view of a third person or observer to find out which style of narration would you consider to be more effective? Why?

ANSWER:
If a third person had narrated Douglas’ experience, the impact of the story would have lost the reader’s deep connection with the main protagonist and his fear of water. The narrator then would be passively telling the story from the perspective of an observer. The incident of drowning in water could never have successfully communicated the feeling of the “stark terror” that Douglas underwent.
In third person narrative, the 8th and 9th paragraph of the story would be as follows:
“He flailed at the surface of the water, swallowed and choked. He tried to bring his legs up but they hung as dead weights, paralyzed and rigid. A great force was pulling him under. He screamed, but only the water heard him. He had started on the long journey back to the bottom of the pool.”
“He struck at the water as he went down; expending his strength as one in a nightmare, fights an irresistible force. He had lost all his breath. His lungs ached. His head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. But he remembered the strategy – he would spring from the bottom of the pool and come like a cork to the surface. He would lie flat on the water, strike out with his arms, and thrash with his legs. Then he would get to the edge of the pool and be safe.”
So, it is only the first person narrative that keeps the reader gripped to the story. It makes the experience more relevant and tangible for the reader. It engages him by making him go through the experience along with the protagonist. The desperation and helplessness of being in water, which has almost become fatal, the mental and physical agony of trying to survive the crisis, the long struggle of overcoming the fear bit-by-bit and the jubilation of conquering it at the end; all make the reader feel part of the experience. The first person narrative makes the story a fast-paced and urgent reading for the readers. All this would have been lost had it been a third person narrative or from the point of view of an observer.

Short Answer Type Question:

Q1. When did Douglas decide to learn swimming? What options were available to him to swim in? Which one did he choose and why?
ANSWER:  Douglas was ten or eleven years old when he decided to learn swimming. He could swim in the Yakima River or the Y.M.C.A. pool at Yakima. The Yakima River was dangerous. Many persons had drowned in it. So, he chose the Y.M.C.A. pool. It was considered safe.

Q2. Which factors led Douglas to decide in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool?
ANSWER:  The Y.M.C.A. pool was safe. It was only two to three feet deep at the shallow end. It was nine feet deep at the other. Moreover, the drop was gradual. The Yakima River was treacherous and had drowned many. So, he decided in favour of the Y.M.C.A. pool.

Q3. “I had an aversion to the water when I was in it?” says Douglas. When did he start having this aversion and how?
ANSWER:  The aversion started when Douglas was three or four years old. His father had taken him to the beach in California. They were standing together in the surf. He had held his father tightly, even then the waves knocked him down and swept over him. He was buried in water. His breath was gone. He was frightened. There was terror in his heart about the overpowering force of the waves.

Q4. How did Douglas initially feel when he went to the Y.M.C.A. pool? What made him feel comfortable?
ANSWER:  Unpleasant memories of the past were revived and childish fears were stirred. In a little while he gathered confidence. He paddled with his new water wings. He watched the other boys and tried to imitate them. He did so two or three times on different days. He began to feel comfortable.

Q5. What two things did Douglas dislike to do? Which one did he have to do and why?
ANSWER:  Douglas hated to walk naked, into the pool and show his very thin legs. Secondly, he was fearful about going in alone. So, he sat on the side of the pool to wait for others. But he had to go into water as one cannot learn swimming without going into water.

Q6. In what connection does Douglas mention “a big bruiser of a boy ?”
ANSWER:  Douglas mentions him for his misadventure in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool in which he had nearly died. It was this boxer boy who had picked up Douglas and tossed him into the deep end. Later on, when Douglas was rescued, the boy said, “I was only fooling.”

Q7. Describe the boy who was responsible for the author’s misadventure?
ANSWER: He was a big boy, a bruiser. He was probably eighteen year old. He had thick hair on his chest. He was a beautiful specimen. His legs and arms had rippling muscles. He was a fun loving fellow and enjoyed teasing the younger and weaker boys.

Q8. How did the “misadventure” happen with Douglas?
ANSWER: Douglas was sitting alone on the side of the pool, waiting for others. A big, boxer boy of eighteen came there. Mocking him as ‘skinny’ he enquired how he would like to be plunged in water. Saying so, he picked up Douglas and tossed him into the nine feet deep end. Douglas struck the surface of water, swallowed water and at once went to the bottom.

Q9. “I was frightened, but not yet frightened out of my wits,” says Douglas. Which qualities of the speaker are highlighted here and how?
ANSWER:  Douglas was frightened when he went down into the pool and was about to be drowned. He had an aversion to water and now he was filled with terror. He had remarkable self¬control. He used his mind even in the crisis and thought of a strategy to save himself from being drowned.

Q10. “On the way down I planned,” remarks Douglas. What plan had he devised and how far did it succeed?
ANSWER:  While going down to the bottom, he made a plan to save himself from being drowned. He decided to make a big jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to move up to the surface of water like a cork. Then he would lie flat on it, and paddle to the edge of the pool. The plan was only partly successful. He rose to surface twice. But each time he swallowed water and went down.

Q11. What did Douglas experience as he went down to the bottom of the pool for the first time ?
ANSWER:  Going down to the depth of nine feet was not quick. It seemed a long way down. For him those nine feet were more like ninety. Before he touched bottom his lungs were ready to burst. He did not lose his presence of mind. Using all his strength, he made a great jump upwards.

Q12. How was the result of the ‘great spring upwards’ that Douglas made on hitting the bottom of the pool for the first time?
ANSWER:  Douglas rose to the surface very slowly. When he opened his eyes he saw nothing but water with a dirty yellow colour. He grew panicky. He tried to grab a rope but his hands clutched only at water. He was suffocating. He tried to shout, but no sound came out. Then his eyes and nose came out of the water but not his mouth.

Q13. How did Douglas struggle before hitting the bottom of the pool for the second time? What was the outcome of his struggle?
ANSWER:  Douglas moved his arms and legs around without control. He swallowed water and choked. His legs hung as dead weights, paralysed and rigid. A great force was pulling him down. He struck at the water with full force as he went down. He had lost all his breath. His lungs ached and head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through dark water and was filled with fear.

Q14. What sort of terror seized Douglas as he went down the ‘water with a yellow glow?’ How could he feel he was still alive?
ANSWER:  An absolute, rigid terror seized Douglas. It was a terror that knew no understanding or control and was beyond comprehension of anyone who had not experienced it. He was paralysed under water-stiff and rigid with fear. His screams were frozen. The beating of his heart and throbbing of mind made him feel that he was still alive.

Q15. ‘In the midst of the terror came a touch of reason.’ How did the two forces work in opposite direction and how did Douglas fare?
ANSWER:  Reason told him to jump when he hit the bottom as he felt the tiles under him, he jumped with everything he had. But the jump made no difference. A mass of yellow water held him. Stark terror took an even deeper hold on him. He shook and trembled with fright. His arms and legs wouldn’t move. He tried to call for help, but nothing happened.

Q16. 7 crossed to oblivion, and the curtain of life fell.’ How did Douglas experience the sensation of dying before he actually crossed to oblivion?
ANSWER:  As Douglas went down the pool the third time, he swallowed more water. All his efforts to jump up ceased. His legs felt limp. A blackness swept over his brain and it wiped out fear and terror. There was no more panic. It was quiet and peaceful. He felt drowsy and wanted to go to sleep.

Q17. In what state did Douglas find himself on regaining consciousness?
ANSWER:  He found himself lying on his stomach near the pool. He was vomiting. The fellow who had thrown him in the pool was saying that he was only joking. Then someone remarked that the small boy had nearly died. He hoped that he would be all right then. Then he was carried to the locker room for change of clothes.

Q18. How did Douglas react to the frightening experience (i) that day and (ii) later when he came to know the waters of the Cascades?
ANSWER:  (i) He walked home after several hours. He was weak and trembling. He shook and cried when he lay on his bed. He couldn’t eat that night. A haunting fear was there in his heart. The slightest exertion upset him. His knees became wobbly. He felt sick to his stomach. (ii) Whenever he waded the Tieton or Bumping River or bathed in Warm Lake of Goat Rocks, the terror that had seized him in the pool would come back. This terror would take possession of him completely. His legs would become paralysed. Icy horror would grab his heart.

Q19. “This handicap stayed with me as the years rolled by.” How did it affect his pursuits for pleasure?
ANSWER: The haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere. He rowed in canoes on Maine lakes fishing for landlocked salmon. He went for bass fishing in New Hampshire, trout fishing on the Deschutes and Metolius in Oregon, fishing for salmon on the Columbia, at Bumping Lake in the Cascades. Fear ruined his fishing trips. It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating, and swimming.

Q20. What efforts did Douglas make to get over his fear of water and why?
ANSWER:  Fear of water was a handicap Douglas developed during his childhood. It stayed with him as he grew older. It ruined his pursuits of pleasure such as canoeing, boating, swimming and fishing. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear. Finally, he determined to get an instructor and learn swimming.

Q21. What was the first piece of exercise the Instructor gave Douglas? How long did it take to yield the desired result?
ANSWER:  The instructor made him go across the pool an hour a day for five days with the help of a rope attached to his belt. The rope went through a pulley that ran on an overhead cable. The instructor held on to the end of the rope. They went back and forth across the pool. A bit of panic seized him every time. Moreover, the old terror returned and his legs froze when the instructor loosened his grip on the rope and Douglas went under water. It was after three months that the tension began to decrease.

Q22. Which other exercise did the Instructor prescribe for Douglas to make him shed the panic caused by water?
ANSWER:  He taught Douglas to put his face under water and exhale. Then he was to raise his nose
and inhale. He repeated this exercise hundreds of time. Bit by bit he shed part of the panic that seized him when his head went under water.

Q23. Which exercise helped Douglas to loosen his stiff legs and make them work as he desired?
ANSWER: The Instructor held Douglas at the side of the swimming pool. Then he made Douglas kick vfith his legs. He did just that for weeks. At first his legs refused to work. But gradually they relaxed. Finally, he was able to command them.

Q24. Why does Douglas say: ‘The Instructor was finished. But I was not finished?’ How did he overpower tiny vestiges of the old terror?
ANSWER:  The Instructor’s work was over when he built a swimmer out of Douglas piece by piece and then put them together into an integrated whole. However, Douglas was not satisfied
as the remnants of the old terror would return when he swam alone in the pool. He would frown on terror go for another length of the pool.

Q25. Why did Douglas go to Lake Wentworth in New Hampshire? How did he make his terror flee ?
ANSWER:  Douglas was not sure whether all the terror had left even after the training from October to April and practice till July. So, he went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles. Terror returned only once when he was in the middle of the lake. He had put his face under and saw nothing but bottomless water. The old sensation returned in a smaller size. He laughed and rebuked terror. His terror fled away and he swam on.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q1. “There was terror in my heart at the overpowering force of the waves.” When did Douglas start fearing water? Which experience had further strengthened its hold on his mind and personality’?
ANSWER:  The water waves which knocked down young Douglas and swept over him at the beach in California filled him with fear. He was then three or four years old. All this happened when he had clung to his father. He was buried under water. His breath was gone and he was frightened. His father laughed, but there was terror in his heart at the overpowering force of the waves.
His introduction to the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool revived unpleasant memories and stirred childish fears. He had gathered some confidence when a misadventure happened as a big boy threw him at the nine feet deep end of the pool. His efforts to rise to the surface and paddle to the side failed twice. He would have drowned if he had not been rescued in time. This terror of water overpowered his limbs and made them stiff. His mind was haunted by fear of water. It was, in fact, a handicap to his personality.

Q2. Give an account of the fears and emotions of Douglas as he made efforts to save himself from being drowned in the Y.M.C.A. swimming pool.
ANSWER:  Douglas was frightened as he was going down. His active mind suggested a strategy to save himself from being drowned in water. He knew that water has buoyancy. He must make a big jump as his feet hit the bottom. He hoped to rise up like a cork to the surface, lie flat on it and paddle to the edge of the pool.
Before he touched bottom, his lungs were ready to burst. Using all his strength, he made a great jump. He rose up very slowly. He saw nothing but yellow coloured dirty water. He grew panicky and he was suffocated. He swallowed more water as he tried to shout. He choked and went down again. His stiff legs refused to obey him. He had lost all his breath.
His lungs ached and head throbbed. He was getting dizzy. He went down through darkwater again. An absolute terror seized Douglas. He was paralysed under water. His reasoning power told him to jump again. He did so, but his aims and legs wouldn’t move. His eyes and nose came out of water, but not his mouth. He swallowed more water and went down third time. Now a blackness swept over his brain. He had experienced the terror that fear of death can produce as well as the sensation of dying.

Q3. How did the misadventure in Y.M.C.A. swimming pool affect Douglas ? What efforts did he make to conquer his old terror? Did he succeed?
ANSWER: Douglas had nearly died in the swimming pool. For days there was a haunting fear in his heart. The slightest exertion upset him. He avoided going near water as he feared it. The waters of the cascades, fishing for salmon in canoes, bass or trout fishing-all appeared attractive activities. However, the haunting fear of water followed Douglas everywhere and ruined his fishing trips? It deprived him of the joy of canoeing, boating and swimming.
The fear of water became a handicap. He used every method he knew to overcome this fear. Finally, he decided to engage a trainer and learn swimming. In seven months the Instructor built a swimmer out of Douglas. However, the vestiges of the old terror would return when he was alone in the pool. He could now frown on terror and go for another length of the pool. This went on till July. Douglas was not satisfied.
He went to Lake Wentworth and swam two miles. The terror returned only once when he had put his face under water and saw nothing but bottomless water. In order to remove his residual doubts he hurried west to Warm Lake. He dived into the lake and swam across to the other shore and back. He shouted with joy as he had conquered his fear of water. He finally succeeded in his effort.

Q4. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘Deep Water’
OR
Do you think the title Deep Water’ is apt? Give reasons in support of your answer.
ANSWER: The title ‘Deep Water’ is quite appropriate to this extract from ‘Of Men and Mountains’ by William O. Douglas. The title is highly suggestive and at once focuses our attention on the main theme—experiencing fear of death under water and the efforts of the author to overcome it.
All the details in the essay are based on his personal experience and analysis of fear. The psychological analysis of fear is presented from a child’s point of view and centres round deep water and drowning.
The overpowering force of the waves at the California beach stir aversion for water in Douglas. His mother warns him against swimming in the deep waters of the treacherous Yakima River. The nine feet deep water of the swimming pool appears more than ninety to Douglas. However, when he conquers fear he can dive and swim in the deep waters of Lake Wentworth and Warm Lake. :
Thus the title is apt and suggestive.

Q5. What impression do you form of William O. Douglas on the basis of reading Deep Water?’
ANSWER: William Douglas leaves a very favourable impression on us. He appears quite truthful and courageous. He gives a detailed account of his fears and emotions as he struggles against deep water to save himself from being drowned. Confessing one’s faults and shortcomings is not easy. It needs courage, honesty and will power. Douglas has all these qualities.
His efforts to overpower the fear of water show his firm determination, resolution and strong will power. He has an analytic mind which diagnoses the malady and prompts him to search the cure. He is frightened of deep water, but not yet frightened out of his wits.
In his heroic struggle against fear, terror and panic, he rises to heroic stature. He becomes an idol, a living image of bravery and persistent efforts. He typifies the will not to surrender or yield. His indefatigable zeal is a source of inspiration for all and specially for the youth.
In short, William Douglas impresses us as a frank, truthful, honest and determined person.

TEXTBOOK QUESTION AND ANSWER:

THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What is Saheb looking for in the garbage dumps? Where is he and where has he come from?
ANSWER: Saheb is looking for gold in the garbage dumps. He is in the neighbourhood of the author. Saheb has come from Bangladesh. He Came with his mother in 1971. His house was set amidst the green fields of Dhaka. Storms swept away their fields and homes. So they left the country.

Q2. What explanations does the author offer for the children not wearing footwear?
ANSWER: One explanation offered by the author is that it is a tradition to stay barefoot. It is not lack of money. He wonders if this is only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of poverty. He also remembers the story of a poor body who prayed to the goddess for a pair of shoes.

Q3. Is Saheb happy working at the tea-stall? Explain.
ANSWER:  No, Saheb is not happy working at the tea-stall. He is no longer his own master. His face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister seems heavier than the plastic bag he would carry so lightly over his shoulder. The bag was his. The canister belongs to the man who owns the tea-shop.

THINK AS YOU READ
Q1. What makes the city of Firozabad famous?
ANSWER: The city of Firozabad is famous for its bangles. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry. Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for the women in the land.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry?
ANSWER:  Boys and girls with their fathers and mothers sit in dark hutments, next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps. They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. They often end up losing eyesight before they become adults. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles is injurious to eyes. Many workers have become blind. The furnaces have very high temperature and therefore very dangerous.

Q3. How is Mukesh’s attitude to his situation different from that of his family?
ANSWER:  Mukesh’s grandmother thinks that the god-given lineage can never be broken. Her son and grandsons are bom in the caste of bangle makers. They have seen nothing but bangles.
Mukesh’s father has taught them what he knows—the art of making bangles. But Mukesh wants to be a motor mechanic. He will go to a garage and learn, though the garage is far away from his home.

UNDERSTANDING THE TEXT
Q1. What could be some of the reasons for the migration of people from villages to cities?
ANSWER:  People migrate from villages to cities in search of livelihood. Their fields fail to provide them means of survival. Cities provide employment, jobs or other means of getting food. The problem in case of the poor is to feed the hungry members. Survival is of primary concern.

Q2. Would you agree that promises made to the poor children are rarely kept? Why do you think this happens in the incidents narrated in the text?
ANSWER:  The promises made to the poor are rarely kept. The author asks Saheb half-joking, whether he will come to her school if she starts one. Saheb agrees to do so. A few days later he asks if the school is ready. The writer feels embarrassed at having made a promise that was not meant. Promises like hers abound in every comer of their bleak world.

Q3. What forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty?
ANSWER:  Certain forces conspire to keep the workers in bangle industry of Firozabad in poverty. These include the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians. Together they impose a heavy burden on the child.

TALKING ABOUT THE TEXT
Q1. How, in your opinion, can Mukesh realise his dream?
ANSWER:  Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad. Most of the young men of Firozabad have no initiative or ability to dream, but Mukesh is an exception. He has the capacity to take courage and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He does not want to be a pawn in the hands of the middlemen or moneylenders. He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.
He can realise his dream by joining a garage and learn the job of repairing cars and driving them. He will have to overcome many hurdles before he succeeds. Then comes transport problem. Money is the first one. He will have to earn some money himself. The garage is a long way from his home. He will have to cover it twice everyday anyhow—by walking on foot.
Patience, hardwork, firm will and the determination to learn will help him realise his dream.

Q2. Mention the hazards of working in the glass bangles industry.
ANSWER:  The glass bangles industry has many health hazards. It usually employs small children. It is illegal to employ very young children in hazardous industries, but certain forces like ! middlemen, moneylenders, police and politicians combine to entrap the poor workers.
Let us first consider the places where bangle makers work. It is a cottage industry. They work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures. The dingy cells are without air and light. Boys and girls work hard during day next to lines of flames of flickering oil lamps.
They weld pieces of coloured glass into circles of bangles. Their eyes are more adjusted to the dark than to the light outside. That is why, they often end up losing their eyesight before they become adults.
Glass blowing, welding and soldering pieces of glass are all health hazards. Even the dust from polishing the glass of bangles adversely affects the eyes and even adults go blind. Thus, the surroundings, prevailing conditions and the type of job involved-all prove risky to the health of the workers.

Q3. Why should child labour be eliminated and how?
ANSWER:  Child labour should be eliminated because the children employed at tender age as i domestic servants, dish-washers at road-side dhabas and in hazardous industries making glass bangles, biris, crackers etc. lose the charm of the spring of their life. Their childhood is stolen. Burdened by the responsibility of work, they become adults too soon. Most of them are undernourished, ill-fed, uneducated, and poor. They have a stunted growth.
Child labour can be eliminated only through concerted efforts on the part of government agencies, NGOs (Non-Government Organisations), co-operative societies and political leaders. Mere passing of law will not help. Laws should be enacted faithfully. The children thrown out of work should be rehabilitated and given proper food, clothes, education and pocket money. Their feelings, thoughts and emotions should be respected. Let them enjoy sunshine and fresh air.

Short Answer Type Question:

Q1. Who was Saheb? What was he doing and why?
ANSWER:    Saheb was a young boy of school-going age. He was looking for gold in the garbage dumps of the big city. He had left his home in Dhaka, Bangladesh and came to the big city in search of living. He has nothing else to do but pick rags.

Q2. “But promises like mine abound in every corner of his bleak world.” What promise does the author recall? In what context was it made? Was it fulfilled?
ANSWER:    The author asked Saheb about going to school. Saheb explained that there was no school in his neighbourhood. He promised to go to school when they built one. Half joking, the author asked whether he would come in case she started one. Saheb smiled broadly and agreed to come. After a few days, he ran upto the author and asked if the school was ready. The author felt embarrassed. She had made a promise that was not meant.

Q3. What is the meaning of Saheb’s full name? Does he know it? How does he conduct himself?
ANSWER:    His full name is “Saheb-e-Alam”. It means the lord of the universe. He does not know it. If he knew it, he would hardly believe it. He roams the streets barefoot with other rag-pickers. This army of arefoot boys appears in the morning and disappears at noon.

Q4. How does the author focus on the ‘perpetual state of poverty’ of the children not wearing footwear?
ANSWER:    The author notices that most of the young children engaged in rag picking are not wearing footwear. Some of them do not have chappals. Others want to wear shoes. Some say it is tradition to stay barefoot. To the author it seems lack of money. Poverty forces them to walk without footwear.

Q5. Explain: “For children, garbage has a meaning different from what it means to their parents. ”
ANSWER:    Small children scrounge heaps of garbage. They expect to get some coin, note or valuable thing in it. Sometimes they find a rupee or even a ten rupee note. This gives the hope of finding more. They search it excitedly. For children, garbage is wrapped in wonder.
For the elders it is a means of survival. Thus, garbage has two different meanings.

Q6. Where does the author find Saheb one winter morning? What explanation does Saheb offer?
ANSWER:   The author finds Saheb standing by the fenced gate of a neighbourhood club. He is watching two young men, dressed in white, playing tennis. Saheb says that he likes the game, but he is content to watch it standing behind the fence. He goes inside when no one is around. He uses the swing there.

Q7. What job did Saheb take up? Was he happy ? [All India 2014]
ANSWER:    Saheb took up the job at a tea-stall. But he was not happy with it. He was no longer his own master. His face had lost the carefree look. Although he earned ? 800, even then he was not satisfied.

Q8. How has “a dream come true” for Saheb but what is “out of his reach?”
ANSWER:    Saheb is wearing discarded tennis shoes. One of them has a hole. Saheb does not bother about the hole. For one who has walked barefoot, even shoes with a hole is a dream come true. But tennis, the game he is watching so intently, is out of his reach.

Q9. How does Saheb’s life change when he starts working at the tea-stall?
ANSWER:    Saheb now has a regular income. He is paid 800 rupees and all his meals. Thus, food is no problem. But his face has lost the carefree look. The steel canister in his hand now seems a burden. He is no longer his own master. He may have to work for longer hours. The helplessness of doing things at his own will makes him sad.

Q10. Who is Mukesh? What is his dream? Why does it look like “a mirage amidst the dust?”
ANSWER:    Mukesh is the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, where every other family is engaged in making bangles. His poor father has failed to renovate his house or send his two sons to school. Mukesh insists on being his own master. His dream is to be a motor mechanic. He wants to drive a car. Given the conditions of existence, his dream looks like a mirage amidst the dust.

Q11.What do you learn about Firozabad from this chapter ?
ANSWER:    Firozabad is famous for its glass bangles. It is the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry.
Families have spent generations working around furnaces, welding glass, making bangles for all the women in the land. Every other family in Firozabad is engaged in making bangles.

Q12. “Born in the caste of bangle-makers they have seen nothing but bangles.” Where do they ‘see’ bangles?
ANSWER:    Children like Mukesh are bpm in the caste of bangle-makers. They know no other work.
They see bangles in the house, in the yard, in every other house, every other yard, every street in Firozabad. The spirals of bangles lie in mounds in unkempt yards. They are piled on four wheeled hand carts.

Q13. What contrast do you notice between the colours of the bangles and the atmosphere of the place where these bangles are made?
ANSWER:    The bangles are of every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow. These are sunny gold, paddy green, royal blue, pink and purple. Boys and girls work in dark hutments, next to the flickering flames of oil lamps around furnaces, blowing glass, welding and soldering it to make bangles.

Q14. What are most of the bangle-makers ignorant of? What would happen if law were enforced strictly?
ANSWER:    Most of the bangle-makers are ignorant of the fact that employing children in bangle making is illegal. This is a hazardous industry. Many children become blind before reaching tHeir adulthood. If the law were enforced strictly, 20,000 children would be released from
working hard throughout the day at hot furnaces with high temperatures. *

Q15. Where is Mukesh’s house located? What is he proud of?
ANSWER:    Mukesh’s house is built in a slum-area. The lanes stink with garbage. The homes there are hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. These are crowded with families of humans and animals. Most of these houses are shacks or huts. Mukesh is proud that his house is being rebuilt. His eyes shine as he volunteers to take the author to his home,

Q16. What impression do you form about Mukesh ‘s family on having a glimpse of their ‘house?’
ANSWER:    Mukesh’s house is a half built shack with a wobbly door. One part of it is thatched with dead grass. There is a firewood stove. Spinach leaves are sizzling in a large vessel. More chopped vegetables lie on aluminium platters. The eyes of the frail young woman are filled with smoke, but she smiles. The scene depicts their grinding poverty but contentment with their lot.

Q17. Give a thumb-nail sketch of the “frail young woman” in the chapter ‘Lost Spring’.
ANSWER:   The young woman is the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. Her eyes are filled with the smoke of firewood. Though not much older in years, she commands respect as the daughter- in-law of the house. She adheres to customs and traditions. She veils her face before male elders. She gently withdraws behind the broken wall to do so.

Q18. How would you regard Mukesh’s father’s life and achievement?
ANSWER:    Mukesh’s father was bom in the caste of bangle-makers. His father went blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. He is an old and poor bangle-maker. He has worked hard for long years, first as a tailor and then as a bangle-maker. He has failed to renovate a house or send his two sons to school.

Q19. “Savita is a symbol of innocence and efficiency.” Comment.
ANSWER:    Savita is a young girl. She has put on drab pink dress. She is soldering pieces of glass. Her hands move mechanically like the tongs of a machine. She is innocent as she is ignorant about the sanctity of the bangles she helps to make.

Q20. What do bangles symbolise? When, according to the author, will Savita know “the sanctity of the bangles she helps make?” How is the Indian bride dressed? 
ANSWER:    Bangles symbolise auspiciousness in marriage for an Indian woman. Savita will come to know “the sanctity” of the bangles when she becomes a bride. The head of a bride is draped with a red veil. Her hands are dyed with red henna. Red bangles are rolled on to her wrists.

Q21. “She still has bangles on her wrist but no light in her eyes.” What exactly does the author want to convey through this?
ANSWER:   ‘She’ is an elderly woman who became a bride long ago. Since her husband, an old man with a flowing beard is still alive, she still has bangles on her wrist. She has, however, not enjoyed even one full nteal in her entire lifetime. So, there is no light in her eyes. This is just a comment on the abject poverty and helplessness of the bangle-makers.

Q22. “The young men echo the lament of their elders. ” What do you think is the common complain t ? How has it affected their lives?
ANSWER:    The bangle-makers of Firozabad are quite poor. They do not have enough money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles. Some even do not have enough to pacify their hunger. Building a house for the family is an achievement for them. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and the ability to dream.

Q23. Why do the bangle-makers not organise themselves into a cooperative?
ANSWER:    Most of the young bangle-makers have fallen into the traps of the middlemen. They are also afraid of the police. They know that the police will haul them up, beat them and drag to jail for doing something illegal. There is no leader among them to help them see things differently. Their fathers are equally tired. They can do nothing except carrying on their i inherited business.

Q24. Which two distinct worlds does the author notice among the bangle-making industry ?
ANSWER:    The families of the bangle-makers belong to one of these worlds. These workers are caught in the web of poverty. They are also burdened by the stigma of the caste in which they are bom. They know no other work. The other world is the vicious circle of the moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of the law, the bureaucrats and the politicians.

Q25. How is Mukesh different from the other bangle makers of Firozabad? [Delhi 2014]
ANSWER:    Mukesh is quite different from other bangle makers of Firozabad because he has the courage to take initiative and break from the traditional family occupation. He has strong will power also. He insists on being his own master by becoming a motor mechanic.

Q26. What do you think is the plight of the children born in the families of bangle-makers?
ANSWER:    The vicious circle of the middlemen and their allies have entrapped the poor bangle- makers in their nets. The stronghold is suffocating. They have imposed a heavy burden on little children. They can’t put it down. Before they are able to think, they accept the baggages as naturally as their fathers.

Q27. What do you think is the theme of ‘Lost Spring, Stories of Stolen Childhood’?
ANSWER:   The theme of the chapter is the grinding poverty and the traditions which condemn poor children to a life of exploitation. The two stories taken together depict the plight of street children forced into labour early in life and denied the opportunity of schooling. The callousness of the society and the political class only adds to the sufferings of these poor people.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q1.What are the dreams of the poor like ‘Saheb-e-Alam’ and Mukesh? Could these be realised? What is the reality of the situation?
ANSWER: Poor rag-pickers like Saheb spend the early years of their lives looking for gold in garbage dumps. The parents of these street children have no fixed income. They wage war against poverty and hunger. They have no dreams except finding the means of survival. Garbage to them is gold. It is the source of their daily bread and provides a roof over their heads. He ends up as a servant at a tea-stall and loses his freedom.
Mukesh, the son of a poor bangle-maker of Firozabad, has a dream of becoming a motor mechanic. He wants to learn to drive a car. He thinks of joining a garage to fulfil his dream. He knows that the garage is far away, yet he has decided to walk. He realises the reality and is willing to overcome the obstacles. His daring to rise and decision to get free from the trap laid by vicious moneylenders and middle men arouse a sense of hope.Deprived of education, proper food and upbringing, these children are forced into labour early in life.

 

Q2. Firozabad presents a strange paradox. Contrast the beauty of the glass bangles of Firozabad with the misery of the people who produce them.
ANSWER:   Firozabad, the centre of India’s glass-blowing industry, is famous for its bangles. Spirals of bangles of various colours can be seen lying in mounds in yards or piled on four wheeled push carts. These bangles have shining bright colours: sunny gold, paddy
green, royal blue, pink, purple-in fact, every colour bom out of the seven colours of the rainbow.
The banglemakers lead a miserable life. They know no other work than bangle making. They have neither courage nor money to start another trade or job. they have spent generations in the clutches of middle men and moneylenders. Extreme poverty forces them to remain hungry and yet work all day. The elderly woman,who works with Savita, has not enjoyed even one full meal in her entire lifetime. Her husband has made a house for the family to live in. He has achieved what many have failed in their lifetime. Mukesh’s father has failed to renovate a house or send his two sons to school. Young boys are as tired as their fathers. Their work at hot furnaces makes them blind prematurely.

Q3.(i) “Survival in Seemapuri means rag-picking.”
(ii) “Garbage to them is gold.”
(iii) “For the children it (garbage) is wrapped in wonder, for the elders it is a means of survival.”
In the light of the above remarks write an account of the life and activities of the ragpickers settled in Seemapuri (Delhi).
Or
Give a brief account of the life and activities of the Bangladeshi squatters like Saheb-e-Alam settled in Seemapuri.
ANSWER:   Seemapuri is a place on the periphery of Delhi, yet miles away from it metaphorically. Squatters who came from Bangladesh way back in 1971 live here. Saheb’s family is one of them. Seemapuri was then a wilderness. It still is, but it is no longer empty. Nearly 10,000 ragpickers live there in structures of mud, with roofs of tin and tarpaulin. These shanties are devoid of sewage, drainage or running water. These people have lived there for more than thirty years without an identity or permit. They have got ration cards that enable them to buy grains and get their names on voters’ lists. For them food is more important for survival than an identity. The women put on tattered saris. They left their fields as they gave them no grain. They pitch their tents wherever they find food. Ragpicking is the sole means of their survival.
It has acquired the proportions of a fine art for them. Garbage to them is gold. It provides them their daily bread and a roof over the heads. Most of the barefoot ragpickers roam the streets early in the morning and finish their activities by noon. They seem to carry the plastic bag lightly over their shoulders. They are clothed in discoloured shirts and shorts and denied the opportunity of schooling.

Q4. “The cry of not having money to do anything except carry on the business of making bangles, not even enough to eat, rings in every home. The young men echo the lament of their elders. Little has moved with time, it seems, in Firozabad.” Comment on the hardships of the banglemakers of Firozabad with special emphasis on the forces that conspire against them and obstruct their progress.
ANSWER:  The bangle-makers of Firozabad are bom in poverty, live in poverty and die in poverty. For generations these people have been engaged in this trade—working around hot furnaces with high temperature, welding and soldering glass to make bangles. In spite of hard labour throughout the day, the return is meagre. Some of them have to sleep with empty, aching stomachs. Others do not have enough to eat. Whatever they do get is not delicious or nourishing.
The stinking lanes of their shanty town are choked with garbage. Their hovels have crumbling walls, wobbly doors and no windows. These are overcrowded with humans and animals.
Poverty and hunger, social customs and traditions, stigma of caste and the intrigues of powerful lobby that thrives on their labour combine to keep them poor, uneducated and hungry. The moneylenders, the middlemen, the policemen, the keepers of law, the bureaucrats and the politicians—all are ranged against them. Children are engaged in illegal and hazardous work. Years of mind-numbing toil have killed all initiative and ability to dream. They are unable to organise themselves into cooperative due to lack of a leader and fear of ill-treatment at the hands of the police. They seem to carry the burden that they can’t put down. They can talk but not act to improve their lot.

Q5. Compare and contrast the two families of bangle-sellers portrayed in ‘Lost Spring.’ Comment on the roles of individuals in highlighting the issues raised by the author.
ANSWER:  One of the families is that ofMukesh’s. It comprises three males and two females: Mukesh, his brother, their father, their grandmother and the wife of Mukesh’s elder brother. The grandmother had watched her own husband go blind with the dust from polishing the glass of bangles. Mukesh’s father is a poor old bangle maker, who has failed to renovate a house and send his two sons to school. Mukesh and his brother make bangles. The wife of Mukesh’s brother is a traditional daughter-in-law who follows the customs and cooks food for the family. The grandmother believes in destiny and caste. Only Mukesh shows some sparks of fighting the system and declares that he wants to be a motor mechanic.
Savita, the elderly woman and her old, bearded husband form the other family. Young and innocent Savita works mechanically. The elderly woman highlights the plight of bangle makers who fail to enjoy even one full meal during the entire lifetime. The old man has an achievement to his credit. He has made a house for the family to live in. He has a roof over his head.
The lifestyle, problems and economic conditions of the two families are similar. There is only a difference of degree but not of kind in their existence and response to life’s problems.

THINK AS YOU READ:

Q.1 What was Franz expected to be prepared with for school that day?

ANSWER:

Franz was expected to be prepared with participles that day as Mr. Hamel had told the class that he would be taking a test on the topic that day.

Q.2 What did Franz notice that was unusual about the school that day?
ANSWER:
Usually when the school began there would be a lot of commotion. But that day everything was quiet and it appeared to be like a Sunday, but the students were at their places and Mr. Hamel was walking up and down with his terrible iron ruler under his arm.

Q.3 What had been put up on the bulletin-board?

ANSWER:
The bulletin-board notified the general public about an order from Berlin. It stated that only German was to be taught to students in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine.

Q.4 What changes did the order from Berlin cause in school that day?

ANSWER:
The order from Berlin brought all the routine hustle-bustle of the school life to a stand-still. The teacher, M. Hamel, became more sympathetic to his students and taught his lessons with more patience. The students became more attentive in their classes. The villagers, who were sitting at the usually empty back benches and had come to show their respect and gratitude to M. Hamel, regretted not going to school more than they did. The order also brought about a great change in the feelings of the people towards their country and their native language. There was a general sadness about not being able to utilise the opportunities of learning French when it was easily accessible.

Q.5 How did Franz’s feelings about M. Hamel and school change?

ANSWER:
Franz was shocked when M. Hamel told the students about the order from Berlin and that it was their last French lesson. He forgot about his teacher’s ruler and crankiness. He developed a fondness for M. Hamel at the troubling idea of being separated from him forever. He understood the pain and agony his teacher was undergoing. And, he became more sympathetic towards his teacher.
His school too, now, carried a different meaning. His books and lessons seemed old friends whom he couldn’t give up. He realised with pain how much French meant to him and regretted not being attentive in his classes earlier. Suddenly, he felt that the ‘difficult concepts’ had never actually been difficult.

Q.6 The people in this story suddenly realize how precious their language is to them. What shows you this? Why does this happen?

ANSWER:
M. Hamel told the students and villagers that henceforth only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. Those who called themselves Frenchmen would neither be able to speak nor write it. He praised French as the most beautiful, the clearest and most logical language in the world. He said that for the enslaved people, their language was the key to their prison. Then the people realised how precious their language was to them. This shows people’s love for their own culture, traditions and country. Pride in one’s language reflects pride in motherland.

Q.7 Franz thinks, “Will they make them sing in German, even the pigeons ?” What could this means?

ANSWER:

Alphonse Daudet’s ‘The Last Lesson’ very prominently raises the question of linguistic and cultural hegemony of the colonial and imperial powers and their lust for controlling the world and influencing their cultures and identities. Prussians acquired the districts of Alsace and Lorraine in Franco-Prussian War , but they were not satisfied with mere political domination ,they desired to enforce their own language on the people of the defeated nation. They released the order that from now German would be taught in schools rather than French. Franz wondered whether they would make even pigeons sing in German. It means that they had grown up using French as their language and now snatching away their language from them would be unfair and unkind. The language was as natural to them as cooing is to the pigeon. So, compulsion to speak another language is like dominating the force of nature and enslaving it. As it is next to impossible to alter the way pigeons sing, in the same way it is difficult for people to accept a language which is forcibly imposed on them. Adopting a new language causes pain and discomfort.
OrThis sentence could possibly mean that however hard the authorities try to embed German language in the culture of Alsace and Lorraine, the natural status of French, for them, will remain unchanged. French flows in the air and the entire place is imbued with its effect. Even though they train students in German, the basic mode of communication would remain unchanged like the cooing of the pigeons.

Short Answer Type Question:

Q1. Why do you think was little Franz afraid of being scolded?
ANSWER: Franz was afraid of being scolded that day especially because M. Hamel, the teacher, had said that he would question them on participles. Franz frankly admits that he was totally ignorant about the topic. His exact words are: “I did not know the first word about them.” Secondly, he had started for school very late that morning.

Q2. “It was all much more tempting than the rule for participles.” What did Franz find ‘much more tempting’? How did he finally react?
ANSWER:   Franz found that it was a very warm and bright day. The birds were chirping at the edge of woods. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field at the back of sawmill. He could gladly spend life out of doors. However, he had the strength to resist the temptation. Finally, he hurried off to school.

Q3. “What can be the matter now?” says Franz. Why, do you think, did he make this comment?
ANSWER:   There was a bulletin-board near the town-hall. When Franz passed by it, he noticed a crowd there. He did not stop to look at it. He wondered what could be the matter then. For the last two yeairs they had received all the bad news from the bulletin-board—the lost battle, conscription and the orders of the commanding officer.

Q4. Who was Wachter? What did he ask Franz and why? How did Franz react?
ANSWER:   Wachter was a blacksmith. He was reading the latest bulletin. He asked Franz not to go so fast to his school. He added that the little boy would get to his school in plenty of time. Wachter had read the latest bulletin about teaching of German. Franz thought that the blacksmith was making a fun of him. So, he ran to the school and reached there breathless.

Q5. What was the usual scene when Franz’s school began in the morning?
ANSWER:  Usually, when the school began, there was a great bustle. The noise could be heard out in the school. Students opened and closed their desks. They repeated the lessons together very loudly. They kept their hands over their ears to understand better. The teacher would go on rapping the table with his great iron ruler.

Q6. How had Franz hoped to get to his desk? What had he to do and why?
ANSWER:   Franz had hoped to get to his desk unseen during the commotion. But that day it was very quiet. So, Franz had to open the door and go in before everybody. He blushed as he was late. He was frightened that the teacher might rebuke him, but M. Hamel spoke kindly to him that day.

Q7. What three things in school surprised Franz most that day?
ANSWER:  First, M. Hamel, the teacher had put on his fine Sunday clothes—his beautiful green coat, frilled shirt and the little black silk cap, all embroidered. Second, the whole school seemed quite strange and solemn. Thirdly, the village people were sitting quietly like school children on the back benches that usually remained empty.

Q8. Why had the villagers come to school that day? How did they look?
ANSWER:   The villagers had come there to thank M. Hamel for his forty years of faithful service. They also wanted to show their respect to the country that was theirs no more. They were sorry that they had not gone to school more. They were sitting quietly and looked sad.

Q9. “What a thunderclap these words were to me!” Which were the words that shocked and surprised the narrator?
ANSWER:  M. Hamel, the teacher, told the children in a solemn and gentle tone that it was their last French lesson. Henceforth, only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. The new master would come the next day. As that was their last French lesson, he wanted them to be very attentive. The teacher’s kind gesture and use of soft words shocked and surprised the narrator.

Q10. How did Franz react to the declaration: ‘This is your last French lesson’?
ANSWER:  The words appeared startling and unexpected like a thunderclap. He now understood why there was a crowd at the bulletin board, why the village people had come to school, why the teacher was dressed in his Sunday best and why there was sadness and silence in the school.

Q11. What tempted Franz to stay away from school? [Delhi 2014]
ANSWER:  Franz was not prepared Tor the test on participles. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open field at the back of sawmill. The birds were chirping at the edge of woods. These things tempted him. So he hurried off to school.

Q12. Who did M. Hamel blame for neglect of learning on the part of boys like Franz?
ANSWER:   He thought it typical with the people of Alsace. They would put off learning till tomorrow. Parents are not quite anxious to have their children learn. They put them to work on a farm or at the mills in order to have a little more money. The teacher got his flowers watered or gave them a holiday. He too neglected their lessons.

Q13. What did M. Hamel tell them about French language? What did he ask them to do and why?
ANSWER:  M. Hamel told them that French was the most beautiful language in the world. It was the clearest and the most logical language. He asked them to guard it among them and never _ forget it. He gave a reason also. When a people were enslaved, as long as they held fast to their language, they had the key to their prison.

Q14. Why were the elders of the village sitting in the classroom? [All India 2014]
ANSWER:   M. Hamel was taking the class of last French lesson. That is why elders of the village were sitting in the classroom to attend it. It was done not only to pay respect to M.Hamel but to pay respect to his own language.

Q15. How did Franz and other hoys enjoy their lesson in writing? 
ANSWER:  That day M. Hamel had new copies for them. The words “France, Alsace, France, Alsace” were written on them in a beautiful round hand. The boys set to work quietly. The only sound was the scratching of the pens over the paper. Nobody paid any attention to the beetles who flew in.

Q16. How did M. Hamel feel and behave during the last lesson?
ANSWER:   M. Hamel was solemn and gentle. He sat motionless in his chair during the writing lesson. He gazed at one thing or the other. Perhaps he wanted to fix in his mind how everything looked in that little school room. Surely, it must have broken his heart to leave it all after forty years.

Q17. “He had the courage to hear every lesson to the very last.” What led Franz to make this remark?
ANSWER:   Franz noticed that M. Hamel was feeling sad on having to leave the place sifter 40 years and not being allowed to teach French any longer. Yet, he kept control on his emotions. He performed his duties faithfully. He heard every lesson to the last. The school was dismissed only at mid-day prayer time.

Q18. What happened when the lesson in history was over?
ANSWER:   After the lesson in history was over, the babies chanted their ba, be, bi, bo, bu. Old Hauser, who was sitting at the back of the room, had put on his spectacles. He was holding his primer in both hands. He was spelling the letters with the babies.

Q19. “Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson!” says the narrator. Which scene does he remember more vividly than the others?
ANSWER:  The narrator remembers the scene of old Hauser spelling the letters from the primer with the babies. He too was crying. His voice trembled with emotion. It was so funny to hear him that all of them wanted to laugh and cry at the same time.

Q20. How did M. Hamel behave as the last lesson came to an end?
ANSWER:   M. Hamel stood up in his chair. He looked very pale and tall. He wanted to say some parting words, but something choked him. Then he wrote “Vive La France!” on the blackboard with a piece of chalk. Then he stopped. He leaned his head against the wall. Without a word, he made a gesture to the students with his hand to permit them to go as the school was over.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q1. Why was Franz scared that day 1 What did he see on his way to school and how did he get to his deski
ANSWER: Franz was not good at learning. He would rather take the day off and waste time in searching birds’ eggs or going sliding on the Saar. Franz was scared that day because M. Hamel had said that he would question them on participles. Franz did not know anything about participles.
He found that the day was warm and bright. The birds were chirping at the edge of the woods. The Prussian soldiers were drilling in the open fields. There was a crowd in front of the bulletin-board near the town-hall.
Franz found the school room unusually quiet. So, he had no option but to open the door and go in before everybody. He blushed and was frightened of the teacher. M. Hamel spoke very kindly to him and asked him to go to his place quickly. Franz jumped over the bench and sat down at his desk.

Q2. What order had been received from Berlin that day? What effect did it have on the life at school?
ANSWER:   An order had been received from Berlin that only German would be taught in the schools of Alsace and Lorraine. This order had far-reaching effects on the life at school. M. Hamel, who had been teaching French at the village school for the last forty years would deliver his last lesson that day.
It was in honour of the last lesson that M. Hamel, the teacher had put on his best clothes. Old men of the village were sitting quietly at the back of the classroom. They were sad as well as sorry for they had not gone to school more. They had come to thank the master for his forty years of faithful service and to show respect for the country that was theirs no more.
The teacher addressed the students in a solemn and gentle tone. He asked them to be attentive and explained everything quite patiently. He appealed to them to preserve French among them. During slavery it would act as key to the prison. He felt so overwhelmed by emotion that he could not bid farewell properly.

Q3. What do you think is the theme of the story ‘The Last Lesson’? What is the reason behind its universal appeal?
ANSWER:  The theme of the story ‘The Last Lesson’ is linguistic chauvinism of the proud conquerors
and the pain that is inflicted on the people of a territory by them by taking away the right to study or speak their own language and thus make them aliens in their own land of birth. The story has a sub-theme also. It highlights the attitudes of the students and teachers to learning and teaching.
Though the story is located in a particular village of Alsace district of France which had passed into Prussian hands, it has a universal appeal. It highlights the efforts of the victors to crush their victims—the vanquished people in all possible manner—materially, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Taking away mother tongue from the people is the harshest punishment. The proper equation between student and teacher, his focused attention, helpful and encouraging attitude and kind treatment can encourage students to learn better.

Q4. Comment on the appropriateness of the title ‘The Last Lesson’.
ANSWER:  The story has an appropriate and suggestive title. It is the centre of attention throughout and the whole story revolves around it. The beginning of the story serves as preparation for it. The unusual quietness at school, presence of village elders and the teacher in his Sunday best dress—all point out to the unusual and unique occasion—the last lesson in French in a French village school in a district conquered by the Prussians. While delivering the last lesson, the teacher wants to transmit all his knowledge in one go. He explains everything with patience and the students as well as old villagers listen attentively.
For the narrator it is an unforgettable experience. “Ah, how well I remember it, that last lesson,” says he. Old Hauser is crying and his voice trembled with emotion. As the teacher is unable to express His emotions because of choked throat, he ends the lesson by writing Wive La France’ on the blackboard. He makes a gesture with his hand to indicate that the school is dismissed and students can go home.

Q5. What impression do you form ofM. Hamel on the basis of your study of the story ‘The Last Lesson’?
ANSWER:   M. Hamel is an experienced teacher who has been teaching in that village school for forty years. He imparts primary education in all subjects. He is a hard task master and students like Franz, who are not good learners, are in great dread of being scolded by him.
The latest order of the Prussian conquerors upsets him. He has to leave the place for ever and feels heart broken. He feels sad but exercises self-control. He has the courage to hear every lesson to the last.
His performance during the last lesson is exemplary. He is kind even to a late comer like Franz. He uses a solemn and gentle tone while addressing the students. He has a logical mind and can analyse problems and deduce the reasons responsible for it. The problem for Alsace is that he (the district) puts off learning till tomorrow.
He knows the emotional hold of a language over its users. He is a good communicator and explains everything patiently. Partings are painful and being human, M. Hamel too is no exception. He fails to say goodbye as his throat is choked. On the whole, he is a patriotic gentleman.

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND ANSWER:

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Q.1 Differentiate between Balance of Trade and Current Account Balance.
[3 Marks] Or
Distinguish between BOT and Balance on current account.[AI 2008, CBSE 2013, Sample Paper 2013]
ANSWER:

Q.2 Should a current account deficit be a cause for alarm? Explain.[1 Mark]
ANSWER:  No, if deficit in current account is offset by the capital account, otherwise such deficit has to be met by following which is a cause for alarm. 

1. Depleting Foreign Exchange reserves
2. Taking foreign Loans.

Value: Analytic.

Q.3If inflation is higher in country A than in country B, and the exchange rate between the two countries is fixed. What is likely to happen to the trade balance between the two countries?[1 Mark]
ANSWER:  The exports from country B to country A will go up in this situation resulting in improvement or surplus trade balance for B. But due to higher price in country A, its imports will increase for country B and it will lead to deficit in trade balance for country A.

Very Short Answer Type Question:

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Q.1 What does balance of payments account of a country record? [CBSE 2007]

ANSWER:Balance of payments is an accounting statement that provides a systematic record of all the economic transactions between the residents of a country and the rest of the world during a given period of time.

Q.2 What is meant by visible items?
ANSWER:  Visible items include material goods [such as sugar, cloth, machines etc.] which can be seen or touched, counted, measured and weighted and which are duly recorded at the custom barriers.

Q.3 What is the meaning of invisible items?
ANSWER: Invisible items, on the other hand, refer to different kinds of services such as transport, banking, insurance etc.

Q.4 Why are imports entered as negative items in the balance of payments account?
ANSWER:  Imports lead to an outflow of foreign exchange in the country. Thus, they are recorded as negative (debit) items.

Q.5 What is meant by balance of trade? [CBSE 2005, Sample Paper 2010]
ANSWER:  The term “balance of trade” denotes the difference between the exports and imports of goods in a country.

Q.6 Name the items included in balance of trade account. [CBSE 2007]
ANSWER:

1. Exports of visible items (goods);
2. Imports of visible items (goods).

Q.7When will balance of trade show a deficit? [CBSE 2006]
ANSWER:  When imports of visible items are more than exports of visible items.

Q.8 How is a deficit or a surplus on the current account restored?
ANSWER: Deficit on the current account is restored through the surplus on capital account and surplus on the current account is restored through the deficit on capital account.

Short Answer Type Questions :

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Q.1 State four items of current account of BOP account.[CBSE 2004, 08, 08C, 09; AI 05]
Or
Name the broad categories of transactions recorded in the Current account of the balance of payment accounts. [CBSE 2015]
ANSWER: Current account records imports and exports of goods and services and unilateral transfers.
Components of Current Account The main components of Current Account are:

1. Export and Import of Goods (Merchandise Transactions or Visible Trade): A major part of transactions in foreign trade is in the form of export and import of goods (visible items). Payment for import of goods is written on the negative side (debit items) and receipt from exports is shown on the positive side (credit items). Balance of these visible exports and imports is known as balance of trade (or trade balance).
2. Export and Import of Services (Invisible Trade): It includes a large variety of non-factor services (known as invisible items) sold and purchased by the residents of a country, to and from the rest of the world. Payments are either received or made to the other countries for use of these services. Services are generally of three kinds: (a) Shipping,
   (b) Banking, and (c) Insurance. Payments for these services are recorded on the negative side and receipts on the positive side.
3. Unilateral or Unrequisted Transfers to and from abroad (One sided Transactions): Unilateral transfers include gifts, donations, personal remittances and other ‘one-way’ transactions. These refer to those receipts and payments, which take place without any service in return. Receipt of unilateral transfers from rest of the world is shown on the credit side and unilateral transfers to rest of the world on the debit side.
4. Income receipts and payments to and from abroad: It includes investment income in the form of interest, rent and profits.

Q.2What do you mean by capital account and what are its components?
Or
State four items (components) of capital account of BOP account.[CBSE 2004, 11, AI 05]
Or
Name the broad categories of transactions recorded in the Capital account of the balance of payment accounts. [CBSE 2015]
ANSWER:  Capital account is that account which records all such transactions between residents of a country and rest of the world which cause a change in the asset or liability status of the residents of a country or its government.
Components of Capital Account
The main components of capital account are:

1. Loans: Borrowing and lending of funds are divided into two transactions:
   (a) Private Transactions
   • These are transactions that are affecting assets or liabilities by individuals, businesses, etc. and other non-government entities. The bulk of foreign investment is private.
   • For example, all transactions relating to borrowings from abroad by private sector and similarly repayment of loans by foreigners are recorded on the positive (credit) side.
   • All transactions of lending to abroad by private sector and similarly repayment of loans to abroad by private sector is recorded as negative or debit item.
   (b) Official Transactions
   • Transactions affecting assets and liabilities by the government and its agencies.
   • For example, all transactions relating to
   borrowings from abroad by government sector and similarly repayment of loans by foreign government are recorded on the positive (credit) side.
   • All transactions of lending to abroad by government sector and similarly repayment of loans to abroad by government sector is recorded as negative or debit item.
2. Foreign Investment (Investments to and from abroad) It includes:
   (a) Investments by rest of the world in shares of Indian companies, real estate in India, etc. Such investments from abroad are recorded on the positive (credit) side as they bring in foreign exchange.
   (b) Investments by Indian residents in shares of foreign companies, real estate abroad, etc. Such investments to abroad are recorded on the negative (debit) side as they lead to outflow of foreign exchange.
3. Change in Foreign Exchange Reserves
   (a) The foreign exchange reserves are. the financial assets of the government held in central bank. A change in reserves serves as the financing item in India’s BOP.
   (b) So, any withdrawal from the reserves is recorded on the positive (credit) side and any addition to these reserves is recorded on the negative (debit) side.
   (c) It must be noted that ‘change in reserves’ is recorded in the BOP account and not ‘reserves’.

Q.3 Distinguish between current account and capital account of BOP account.[AI 2004, 06 C]
ANSWER:

Q.4 Distinguish between balance of trade and balance of payment. [AI 2004, 06C]
ANSWER:

Q.5 Distinguish between autonomous and accommodating transactions of BOP account. ” [AI 2010; CBSE 10, 13C]
ANSWER:

Q.6 Where is ‘borrowings from abroad’ recorded in the Balance of Payments Accounts? Give reasons. [AT 2015]
ANSWER:

1.  Borrowing from abroad is a part of Capital Account.
2. Borrowing from abroad can be private transactions or official transactions.
3. For example,
   (a) All transactions relating to borrowings from abroad by private sector are recorded on the positive (credit) side as it is inflow of foreign currency.
   (b) Similarly, transactions relating to borrowings from abroad by government sector are recorded on the positive (credit) side as it is inflow of foreign currency.

Q.7 Where will sale of machinery to abroad be recorded in the balance of payment accounts? Give reasons. [CBSE 2015]
ANSWER:

1. Sale of machinery to abroad is a part of Current accounts.
2. Current account records imports and exports of goods and services and unilateral transfers.
3. Sale of machinery to abroad leads to inflow of foreign currency and receipt from exports is shown on the positive side (credit items).

Q.8 What is meant by ‘official reserve transactions’? Discuss their importance in Balance of Payments.[CBSE Sample Paper 2016]
ANSWER:

1. Official reserve transactions are those transactions by a central bank that cause changes in its official reserves.
2. It is sale or purchase of its own currency in the exchange market in exchange for foreign currencies.
3. So, any withdrawal from the reserves is recorded on the positive (Credit) side and any addition to these reserves is recorded on the negative (debit) side.
4. They may be Autonomous and Accommodating Transactions.

TEXTBOOK QUESTIONS AND ANSWER:

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Q.1 How is exchange rate determined under a flexible exchange rate regime? [6 Marks]
Or
How is foreign exchange rate determined? Explain with diagram.
Or [AI 2004; CBSE 06 q How is exchange rate determined in a foreign exchange market? Explain.[AI 2013 (Set 1)]
ANSWER:

1.  Exchange rate in a free exchange market is determined at a point, where demand for foreign exchange is equal to the supply of foreign exchange.
2.  Let us assume that there are two countries – India and U.S.A – and the exchange rate of their currencies i.e., rupee and dollar is to be determined.
   Presently, there is floating or flexible exchange regime in both India and U.S.A. Therefore, the value of currency of each country in terms of the other currency depends upon the demand for and supply of their currencies.
3. In the above diagram, the price on the vertical axis is stated in terms of domestic currency (that is, how many rupees for one US dollar). The horizontal axis measures the quantity demanded or supplied.
4. In the above diagram, the demand curve [D$] is downward sloping. This means that less foreign exchange is demanded as the exchange rate increases. This is due to the fact that the rise in price of foreign exchange increases the rupee cost of foreign goods, which make them more expensive. As a result, imports decline. Thus, the demand for foreign exchange also decreases.
   The supply curve [S$] is upward sloping which means that supply of foreign exchange increases as the exchange rate increases. This makes home country’s goods become cheaper to foreigners since rupee is depreciating in value. The demand for our exports should therefore increase as the exchange rate increases. The increased demand for our exports translates into greater supply of foreign exchange. Thus, the supply of foreign exchange increases as the exchange rate increases.
   
5.  The intersection of the supply and demand curves determine equilibrium exchange rate (OP$) and equilibrium quantity [OQ$] of foreign currency i.e., US [$].

Q.2 Differentiate between devaluation and depreciation. [3 Marks]
ANSWER:

Q.3 Are the concepts of demand for domestic goods and domestic demand for goods the same? [3 Marks]
ANSWER:

1. Demand for domestic goods and domestic demand for goods are two different concepts.
2. Demand for domestic goods is a demand for goods made by both domestic and foreign countries.
3. Domestic demand for goods is a demand for goods by our own country for goods ..which may be produced in foreign countries.

Q.4 Would the central bank need tointervene in a managed floating system? Explain why? [3 Marks]
ANSWER:

1.  In a managed floating system a central bank of a country has freedom to bring change in the exchange rate within certain limits.
2. A country is allowed after information to the IMF to bring a certain limited amount of change in the rate of exchange.
3.  A central bank cannot bring change in its exchange rate by more than 10%. For it, permission of IMF is necessary.

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MORE QUESTIONS SOLVED

Very Short Answer Type Questions :

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Q.1 What is foreign exchange?[CBSE AI 2011, 04]
ANSWER: Foreign exchange refers to all the currencies of the rest of the world other than the domestic currency of the country. For example, in India, US dollar is foreign exchange.

Q.2 What is meant by foreign exchange rate? [CBSE 2004,05,06,09 2011, Sample Paper 2010]
ANSWER:   The rate at which one currency is exchanged for another is called foreign exchange rate.

Q.3 What is meant by foreign exchange market?
ANSWER:  Foreign exchange market is the market where foreign currencies are bought and sold.

Q.4 Define flexible exchange rate system.[CBSE 2008]
ANSWER:   Flexible exchange rate system refers to a system in which the exchange rate of different currencies is determined by the forces of demand and supply in foreign exchange market.

Q.5The price of 1 US Dollar has fallen from Rs. 50 to Rs. 48. Has the Indian currency appreciated or depreciated?[CBSE Sample Paper 2010]
ANSWER:  Indian currency has appreciated.

Short Answer Type Questions :

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Q.1 State four sources of demand of foreign exchange.[CBSE 2004, 05, 05C, 07; A 05, 10] Or
Give three reasons why people desire to have foreign exchange.
Or [CBSE 2005]
What are the sources of demand for foreign exchange?
ANSWER:   The demand (or outflow) of foreign exchange comes from the people who need it to make payments in foreign currencies. It is demanded by the domestic residents for the following reasons:

1. Imports of Goods and Services:When India import goods and services, foreign exchange is demanded to make the payment for imports of goods and services.
2. Tourism: Foreign exchange is demanded to meet expenditure incurred in foreign tours.
3. Unilateral Transfers sent abroad: Foreign exchange is required for making unilateral transfers like sending gifts to other countries.
4. Purchase of assets in foreign countries: It is demanded to make payment for purchase of assets, like land, shares, bonds, etc. in foreign countries.

Q.2 What are the functions of a foreign exchange market?
ANSWER:

1. Transfer Function: Transfer function refers to transferring of purchasing power among countries.
2. Credit Function: It implies provision of credit in terms of foreign exchange for the export and import of goods and services across different countries of the world.
3. Hedging Function: Hedging function pertains to protecting against foreign exchange risks. Where Hedging is an activity which is designed to minimize the risk of loss.

Q.3 Why does demand for foreign exchange rise when its price falls?
Or [AI 2006, 08, 10] What are the reasons for ‘Rise in Demand’ for Foreign Currency?
ANSWER: The demand for foreign currency rises in the following situations:

1. When price of a foreign currency falls, imports from that, foreign, country become cheaper. So, imports increase and hence, the demand for foreign currency rises.
   For example, if price of 1 US dollar falls from Rs 60 to T 55, then imports from The USA will increase as American goods will become relatively cheaper. It will raise the demand for US dollar.
2. When a foreign currency becomes cheaper in terms of the domestic currency, it promotes tourism to that country. As a result, demand for foreign currency rises.
3. When price of a foreign currency falls, its demand rises as more people want to make gains from speculative activities.

Q.4 When price of a foreign currency rises, its demand falls’. Explain why?
Or [CBSE 2011]
Explain relation between foreign exchange rate and demand for it.
Or [CBSE 2004q Why demand curve of foreign exchange is downward sloping?

ANSWER:

1. Demand curve of foreign exchange slopes downwards due to inverse relationship between demand for foreign exchange and foreign exchange rate.
2. In figure, demand for foreign exchange (US dollar) and rate of foreign exchange are shown on the horizontal axis and vertical axis respectively.
3. The demand curve [US$] is downward sloping. It means that less foreign exchange is demanded as the exchange rate increases.
4. This is due to the fact that rise in the price of foreign exchange increases the rupee cost of foreign goods, which make them more expensive. As a result, imports decline. Thus, the demand for foreign exchange also decreases.

Q.5 State four sources of supply of foreign exchange.[CBSE 2004, 05, 05C, 07, 10; AI 05] Or
What are the sources for supply of foreign exchange?
ANSWER:  The supply (inflow) of foreign exchange comes from the people who receive it due to the following reasons.

1.  Exports of goods and services:Supply of foreign exchange comes through exports of goods and services.
2. Foreign investment: The amount, which foreigners invest in their home country, increases the supply of foreign exchange.
3. Remittances (unilateral transfers) from abroad: Supply of foreign exchange increases in the form of gifts and other remittances from abroad.
4. Speculation: Supply of foreign exchange comes from those who want to speculate on the value of foreign exchange.

Q.6 What are the reasons of ‘rise in supply’ of foreign currency?
Or
Why does a rise in foreign exchange rate cause a rise in foreign exchange supply? [CBSE 2006, 08]
Or
When exchange rate of a foreign currency rises, its supply also rises. How? Explain. [CBSE 2008]
ANSWER:   The supply of foreign currency rises in the following situations:

1. When price of a foreign currency rises, domestic goods become relatively cheaper. It induces the foreign country to increase their imports from the domestic country. As a result, supply of foreign currency rises. For example, if price of 1 US dollar rises from Rs 60 to Rs 65, then exports to USA will increase as Indian goods will become relatively cheaper. It will raise the supply of US dollars.
2. When price of a foreign currency rises,foreign direct investment (FDI) from rest of the world increases, which will increase the supply for foreign exchange.
3. When price of a foreign currency rises, also supply of foreign currency rises as people want to make gains from speculative activities.

Q.7 Why supply curve of foreign exchange is upward sloping?

ANSWER:

1. Supply curve of foreign exchange slopes upwards due to positive relationship between supply for foreign exchange and foreign exchange rate, which means that supply of foreign exchange increases as the exchange rate increases.
2.  This makes home country’s goods become cheaper to foreigners since rupee is depreciating in value. The demand for our exports should therefore increase as the exchange rate increases.
3. The increased demand for our exports will translate into greater supply of foreign exchange. Thus, the supply of foreign exchange increases as the exchange rate increases.

Q.8 Explain the effect of depreciation of domestic currency on exports.
[A7 2013 (Set I), Sample Paper 2013]
ANSWER:  Depreciation of domestic currency means a fall in the price of domestic currency (say, rupee) in terms of a foreign currency (say, $). It means, with the same amount of dollars, more goods can be purchased from India, i.e., exports to USA will increase as they will become relatively cheaper.

Q.9 Explain the effect of appreciation of domestic currency on imports.
[CBSE 2013 (Set I), Sample Paper 2013)]
ANSWER: Appreciation of domestic currency means a rise in the price of domestic currency (say, rupee) in terms of a foreign currency (say, $). Now, one rupee can be exchanged for more $, i.e., with the same amount of money, more goods can be purchased from the USA. It leads to increase in imports from the USA as American goods will become relatively cheaper.

Q.10 What are the merits of fixed exchange rate system? [CBSE 2009]
ANSWER:

1. Stability: It ensures stability, in the international money market/ exchange market. Day to day fluctuations are avoided. It helps formulation of long term economic policies, particularly relating to exports and imports.
2.  Encourages international trade: Fixed exchange rate system implies low risk and low uncertainty of future payments. It encourages international trade.
3. Co-ordination of macro policies:Fixed exchange rate helps co¬ordination of macro policies across different countries of the world. Long term economic policies can be drawn in the area of international trade and bilateral trade agreements.

Q.11What are merits of flexible exchange rate system? [CBSE, AI 2009]
ANSWER:

1. No need for international reserves: Flexible exchange rate system is not to be supported with international reserves.
2. International capital movements: Flexible exchange rate system enhances movement of capital across different countries of the world. This is due to the fact that member countries are no longer required to keep huge international reserves.
3. Venture capital: Flexible exchange rate promotes venture capital in foreign exchange market. Trading in international currencies itself becomes an important economic activity.

Q.12 Differentiate between fixed exchange rate and flexible exchange rate? [AI 2015]
ANSWER:

Q.13 Explain the meaning of Managed Floating Exchange Rate? [AI 2015]
ANSWER:

1. Managed floating exchange rate is a mixture of a flexible exchange rate (the float part) and a fixed exchange rate (the Managed part).
2. In other words, it refers to a system in which foreign exchange is determined by free market forces (demand and supply forces), which can be influenced by the invention of the central bank in foreign exchange market.
3. Under this system, also called Dirty floating, central banks intervene to buy or sell foreign currencies in an attempt to stabilise exchange rate movements in case of extreme appreciation or depreciation.

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Textbook Question And Answer:

Q.1Explain why public goods must be provided by the government? [3-4 Marks]
ANSWER:

1. Public goods are those goods and services for which consumption by some individuals does not reduce the amount available to others.
2. For example parks,roads,water,bridges,national defense etc..
3. these goods are non-rival and non-excludable ones.
4. people receives benefits from public goods but do not pay for them.Such a goods can only prepared by government.

Q.2 Distinguish between revenvu expenditure and capital expenditure .
State the basis of classifying government expenditure into revenue and capital expenditure. Give an example of each.
ANSWER:

Q.3 The fiscal deficit gives the borrowing requirement of the government Elucidate. [3-4 Marks]
ANSWER:

1. Fiscal deficit is defined as excess of total expenditure over total receipts (revenue and capital receipts) excluding borrowing. In the form of an equation:
   Fiscal Deficit = Total Budget Expenditure – Total Budget Receipts (Net of borrowing)
   = Total Expenditure (Revenue
   Expenditure + Capital Expenditure) – Revenue Receipts (Tax Revenue + Non-Tax Revenue) – Non-Debt Capital Receipts (Recovery of Loans + Dis-investment Proceeds)
   = Revenue Deficit + Capital Deficit (excluding Borrowing)- Borrowing
   = Net borrowing at home + Borrowing from RBI + Borrowing from abroad
2. Fiscal deficit shows total borrowing requirements of the government from all sources.
3. As the government borrowing increases, its liability in future to repay loan with interest also increases leading to a higher revenue deficit. Therefore, fiscal deficit should be as low as possible.

Q.4 Give the relationship between revenue deficit and fiscal deficit. [3-4 Marks]
ANSWER:

1. Fiscal deficit is always a wider concept than revenue deficit.
2.  Revenue deficit is defined as the excess of government’s revenue expenditure over revenue receipts. In terms of formula:
   Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditures (RE) – Revenue Receipts (RR)
3.  In short, there will be revenue deficit in a government budget when revenue expenditure exceeds revenue receipts.
4. Fiscal deficit is defined as the excess for all expenditure over total receipts net of borrowings.
5. Initially, Fiscal deficit does not take into account all types of receipts. It does not take into account borrowings. But finally they have to depend on borrowing to met fiscal deficit.
   Fiscal Deficit = Revenue Deficit + Capital Deficit (Excluding Borrowing)- Borrowing
   = Net borrowing at home + Borrowing from RBI + Borrowing from abroad

Q.5 Does public (government) debt impose a burden? Explain. [3-4 Marks]
ANSWER:   Public debt is not always a blessing. Excessive use of it creates a lot of crisis in an economy; such as,

1. Hampers Economic Development of a Country: Loans are easily borrowed but it is very difficult to repay them.Generally, government imposes more taxes. It brings instability and is an obstacle in the economic development of a country.
2. Poses Threat to Political Freedom: Foreign loans and assistance lead to deep conflict among countries. The friction among countries challenges the political freedom.
3. Proves a Burden on Common Man: Loans taken for unproductive purposes, like war and armaments, are a burden on common man in the form of higher taxes.
4. Leads to Extravagant Spending: Public debt leads to unplanned spending. This provides incentive to the government to implement the schemes that require excessive expenditure.
5. Results in Drain of National Wealth: Repayment of foreign loans results in drain of wealth out of the country.

Q.6 Are fiscal deficits necessarily inflationary? [3-4 Marks]
Or
“Governments across nations are too much worried about the term fiscal deficit”. Do you think that fiscal deficit is necessarily inflationary in nature? Support your answer with valid reasons.
ANSWER:

1. Fiscal deficits are not necessarily inflationary.
2. As we know fiscal deficit shows borrowing requirement of the government.
3. If we borrow when there is a situation of underemployment in an economy i.e., in a situation of deficient demand, then it is not inflationary because in a situation of deficient demand output is held back because of lack of demand.
4. A high fiscal deficit (borrowing) is accompanied by higher demand and greater output which is not inflationary.
5. On the other hand, if we borrow at the full employment level, then it is inflationary in nature.
6. A high fiscal deficit (borrowing) is accompanied by higher prices because aggregate demand is greater than aggregate supply at the full employment level which is always inflationary.

Q.7 Discuss the issue of deficit reduction.[3-4 Marks]
ANSWER: The deficit in a government budget can be reduced by the following steps:

1. Taxes should be increased. Government can make a plan for rising direct taxes to increase its receipts can also be raised by increasing rates of taxes or by imposing new taxes.
2. Reduction in Government Expenditures: It can be done through making government activities more efficient through better planning of programmes and better administration.
3.  The government can raise Receipts through the sale of shares in PSUs (Public Sector Undertaking).
4. Changing the scope and role of government by withdrawing from same areas where it operated before.

Very Short Answer Type Questions :

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Q.1 Define government budget.
  ANSWER:  A government budget is an annual financial statement showing itemwise estimates of expected revenue and anticipated expenditure during a fiscal year.

Q.2 State any one obj ective of a government budget.
ANSWER:  Activities to secure a reallocation of resources

Q.3 Define a tax.
ANSWER:  A tax is a legally compulsory payment imposed by the government on income and profit of persons and companies without reference to any benefit. Tax is of two types: Direct tax and Indirect tax.

Q.4 Why is service tax an indirect tax?
ANSWER: Its impact and incidence lie on different persons.

Q.5 State any two sources of non-tax revenue receipts.
ANSWER:

1. Commercial revenue (profit and interest)
2. Administrative revenueffees, fines and penalties, escheats etc)

Q.6 Is borrowing by the government a revenue receipt?
ANSWER:  No, it is not so because it creates a liability (for the government) of repayment.

Q.7 Why is tax not a capital receipt?
ANSWER:  Tax is not a capital receipt because it leads neither to creation of liability nor to reduction in assets.

Q.8 Why is interest termed as a revenue receipt?
ANSWER:  Interest is a revenue receipt because it creates neither any liability nor causes a reduction in the assets of the government.

Q.9 Why are borrowings a capital receipt?
ANSWER:  They create a liability (in terms of repayment).

Q.10 Why are subsidies treated as revenue expenditure?
ANSWER: Subsidies are treated as revenue expenditure because they create neither any asset nor cause a reduction in any liability of the government.

Q.11 Why is repayment of loan a capital expenditure?
ANSWER: It reduces the liabilities of the government.

Q.12 Why is recovery of loans treated as a capital receipt?[CBSE All India 2005]
ANSWER: Recovery of loans is treated as a capital receipt because it reduces assets of the government.

Q.13 Why are receipts from taxes categorised as revenue receipts?
ANSWER: Receipts from taxes are categorised as revenue receipts because they create neither any liability nor cause a reduction in the assets of the government.

Q.14 What is meant by revenue deficit?
ANSWER: Revenue deficit refers to the excess of revenue expenditure of the government over its revenue receipts. Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure- Revenue Receipts

Q.15 If the revenue receipts are Rs. 1,000 crore and revenue expenditure is Rs. 1,200 crore, how much will be the revenue deficit?
ANSWER:  Revenue Deficit = Revenue Expenditure – Revenue Receipts = 1,200 – 1,000 = Rs. 200 crore.

Q.16Define fiscal deficit.
ANSWER:  Fiscal deficit is defined as excess of total expenditure over total receipts (revenue and capital receipts) excluding borrowing.

Q.17 What is the meaning of primary deficit?
ANSWER:  Primary deficit refers to the difference between fiscal deficit of the current year and interest payments on the previous borrowings.

Q.18 How is primary deficit calculated?
ANSWER: Primary Deficit = Fiscal Deficit – Interest Payments

Q.19 What does zero primary deficit mean?
ANSWER:  If primary deficit is zero, fiscal deficit= interest payments. It means the government has to borrow only for its interest commitments on earlier loans.

Short Answer Type Questions : 

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Q.1 Explain objective of stability of prices of government budget. [CBSE, (F) 2010] Or
Explain the ‘economic stability’ objective of a government budget. [CBSE, AI2011] Or
Explain stabilising activities function of budget.
ANSWER:

1. Free play of market forces (or the forces of supply and demand) are bound to generate trade cycles, also called business cycles.
2. These refer to the phases of recession, depression, recovery and boom in the economy.
3. The government of a country is always committed to save the economy from business cycles. Budget is used as an important policy instrument to combat(solve) the situations of deflation and inflation.
4.  By doing it the government tries to achieve the state of economic stability.
5. Economic stability leads to more investment and increases the rate of growth and development.

Q.2 Name two sources each of non-tax revenue receipts. [CBSE 2004]
ANSWER:  Non-tax revenue refers to government revenue from all sources other than taxes called non-tax revenue. These are incomes, which the government gets by way of sale of goods and services rendered by different government departments. Its two sources are:

1. Commercial Revenue (Profit and interest): It is the revenue received by the government by selling the goods and services produced by the government agencies. For example, profit of public sector undertakings like Railways, BHEL, LIC etc. Government gives loan to State Government, union territories, private enterprises and to general public and earns interest receipts from these loans. It also includes interest and dividends on investments made by the government.
2. Administrative Revenue: The revenue that arises on account of the administrative function of the government. This includes:
   (i) Fee: Fee refers to a payment made to the government for the services that it renders to the citizens. Such services are generally in public interest and fees are paid by those, who receive such services. For example, passport fees, court fees, school fees in government schools,
   (ii) License Fee: License fee is a payment to grant a permission by a government authority. For example, registration fee for an automobile.

Q.3 Distinguish between: Revenue receipts and capital receipts. [CBSE 2005, 10]
Or
Distinguish between ‘revenue receipt’ and ‘capital receipt’ and give two examples of each. [CBSE 2007]
ANSWER:

Q.4 Distinguish between Direct tax and indirect tax.
ANSWER:

Q.5 Differentiate between Revenue Budget and Capital Budget.
ANSWER:

Q.6 Differentiate between Developmental and Non-Developmental Expenditure.
ANSWER:

Q.7 What are the implications of a large revenue deficit? Give two measures to reduce this deficit. [CBSE Sample Paper 2010]
ANSWER:

1. Revenue deficit indicates dis¬savings on government account because the government has to make up uncovered gap.
2. Revenue deficit implies that the government has to cover’this uncovered gap by drawing upon capital receipts either through borrowing or through sale of its assets.
3. Since government is using capital receipts to meet generally consumption expenditure of the government which leads to an inflationary situation in the economy.

Two measures to reduced revenue deficit are :

1. Government should reduce its unproductive or unnecessary expenditure.
2. Government should increase its receipts from various sources of tax and non-tax revenue.

Q.8 What are implications of fiscal deficit? [A/2005; CBSE 06C, 07]
ANSWER:

1. Causes Inflation: An important component of government borrowing includes borrowing from the Reserve Bank of India. This invariably implies deficit financing or meeting deficit requirements of the government by way of printing more notes. This is a dangerous practice, though very convenient for the government. It increases circulation of money and causes inflation.
2. Increase in Foreign Dependence:Government also borrows from rest of the world. It increases our dependence on other countries. Foreign borrowing is often associated with economic and political interference by the lender countries. It increases our economic slavery.
3. Financial Burden for Future Generation: Borrowing implies accumulation of financial burdens for the future generations. It is for future generations to repay loans as well as the mounting interest thereon.
4. Deficits Multiply Borrowings:Payments of interest increases revenue expenditure of the government, causing an increase in its revenue deficit. Thus, a vicious circle set wherein deficits multiply borrowings.

Long Answer Type Question:

Q.1 Explain the role the government can play through the budget in influencing allocation of resources. [CBSE 2015] OR .
Explain the ‘allocation of resources’ objective of government budget.[CBSE 2011] OR
Explain the allocation function of agovernment budget. [CBSE AI2010]OR
Explain how government can influence allocation of resources through government budget.
ANSWER:

1. Private enterprises always desire to allocate resources to those areas of production where profits are high.
2. However, it is possible that such areas of production (like production of alcohol) may not promote social welfare.
3. Through its budgetary policy the government of a country directs ‘ the allocation of resources in a manner such that there is a balance between the goals of profit maximisation and social welfare.
4. Production of goods which are injurious to health (like cigarettes and whisky) is discouraged through heavy taxation.
5. On the other hand, production of “socially useful goods” (like electricity, ‘Khadij is encouraged through subsidies.
6.  So, finally government has to reallocate resources in accordance to social and economic considerations in case the free market fails to do or does so inefficiently.

Q.2 Explain how the government can use the budgetary policy in reducing inequalities of incomes. [AI 2015] OR
How can a government budget help in reducing inequalities of income? Explain. [CBSE 2009]OR
How can a government budget be helpful in altering distribution of income in an economy? Explain.[CBSE 2010] OR
Explain ‘redistribution of income’ objective of government budget. [CBSE2011, A/2011] OR
Reduction in income inequalities raises welfare of the people. How can government help, through government budget, in this regard? Explain? [A/2013, C (Set /)]
ANSWER:

1. Budget of a government shows its comprehensive exercise on the taxation and subsidies.
2.  A government uses fiscal instruments of taxation and subsidies with a view of improving the distribution of income and wealth in the economy.
3.  A government reduces the inequality in the distribution of income and wealth by imposing taxes on the rich and giving subsidies to the poor, or spending more on welfare of the poor.
4.  It will reduce income of the rich and raises the living standard of the poor, thus, leads to equitable distribution of income.
5. Expenditure on special anti poverty and employment schemes will be increased to bring more people above poverty line.
6. Public distribution system should be inferred so that only the poor could get foodgrains and other essential items at subsidised prices.
7. Equitable distribution of income and wealth is a sign of social justice which is as the principal objective of any welfare state in India.

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